Lucchese DeCavalcante
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 10, 2009
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Vibaraka wa fikra hatari kwa maisha ya binadamu toka kwa mafisadi zimetawala watu wengi sana. Ewe baba wa taifa angalia tunavyoangamia.
I have worked in mining companies before and I can say with confidence that tailing dams- water seepage is not the only culprit in this scenario; one should look into the possibility that the cause might be slurry overflow from the clarifier. Mind you, the cyanide concentrations in those clarifiers are much higher compared to the one in tailing dams.
What needs to be done is to collect water from Wanakijiji receiving streams near the mining and do a thorough analysis on its contents i.e heavy metals, cyanide, base neutral and acid as well as volatiles. We should thereafter run another test on another receiving stream that is far from the mining and make a comparison with the former.
The government must intervene and do a thorough investigation on this this mining company. Another thing that we should look at is whether these mining companies are required to have pre-treatment program before discharging their slurry to the tailing dam. It is imperative to understand that simply because you have a tailing dam you can discharge whatever you want in there, the slurry pH must be within a certain parameters before discharging.
At the end of the day, our government must establish standards and also start policing these companies.
Kwa nini una-assume wengine hawajalitembelea hilo eneo na kuifuatilia historia ya Nyamongo? Kwani hizi picha zimepigwa na mtu ambaye hakuwa kwenye eneo hilo na hizo zingine hapo chini, je?
mimi nashauri kwa kuwa hawa jamaa wamejisajili kwenye soko la hisa london tuwatumie hizo picha na kwenye vyombo vya habari vya huko ili washindwe kuuza hisa zao kwa bei nzuri
Hiyo ya kujua geographia ya eneo hili inazuia watu kuchangia hii thread? Wewe ambaye unalijua eneo hili (labda kwa ajira yako au chochote kile) unaweza kupinga au kukubali kilichowekwa hapo?
Scientific proof ni ipi unayohitaji hapo ... btw ... ninani huyo unayemuomba scientific proof?
Itachukua muda sana..Sikujua kuwa uelewa wako unaisha hapo...anyway nenda site check mwenyewe...then utajua.
Once Upon a Water Source
Posted in Jessie Boylan, journalism by jessieboylan on December 11, 2009
contaminated stream leading from the NMGM to the Tigithe River
Once Upon a Water Source
30.11.09 Musoma>Tanzania
Shes tending to her shamba, her farm, the farm is still here, but a little discoloured in places, some banana trees and pineapple plants have wilted, some are fruiting, but she cant eat them, or rather, she wont eat them.
Susanna Solomon, 55, is slim and shy mother of 12 from Nyangoto village, situated in the rural Tarime district on the eastern side of Lake Victoria. She has been farming here for a long time and continues to do so even though she cant use her produce.
I was farming rice before, she said, but I cant anymore because of the chemicals.
The area were talking about was contaminated by a leakage from Barrick Golds North Mara Mine in May this year.
In large sections the grass has completely died, and plants and some vegetation have off-coloured stalks. The stream running from the mine site (just 100 or so meters away) has a green moss covering it, there is no sign of insects, tadpoles or frogs, and some crystallised plants stick out of the water, as if frozen or covered by salt.
I was advised not to eat the vegetables Im growing, she said, because you can be affected. I am still cultivating the land because otherwise I will lose it; so I am just here to hold the land.
I am still waiting for compensation, but they havent said anything about (it).
Monitoring by Barrick at the time of the seepage detected pH levels of 4.8 in the Tigithe River, which is far too acidic for fish to live in, and far under Tanzanian drinking water standards.
According to the local community the contamination has caused surrounding crops and animals and fish to perish. Many villagers have also complained of health problems, such as skin irritations and stomach pains as a result of drinking and bathing in the water.
Although some 700-1000 heads of cattle have allegedly died since the incident occurred, no one was able to back the statement up with evidence. Barrick claim that the accident happened only as a result of villagers stealing the PVC lining from the leach ponds on several occasions, to use as roofing for houses and shops. However, in the areas I visited, the lining was not evident.
Walking along the path to the river are many people, mostly women and children going to collect water from the Tigithe; from upstream though.
We have always collected water from here, we live nearby, says Esther Dustin, amongst 5 other women from the area. Most people depend on the river for everything; for bathing, washing, drinking, and for cattle.
We have been complaining about the water sine 2005, but this year was the worse. We have to use the water, because there is no other source, the Mara River is too far from here.
Many villagers have visited health centres in the region complaining of skin irritations due to bathing in the Tigithe River, the results of their tests have yet to materialise.
Chacha Ochibhota is young, hes 21 years old, he has a skin pigmentation covering his face, his eyes are bloodshot, he speaks quietly and moves slowly. His medical examination states that on the 1st of July, he claimed to have used acidic water, contaminated by the mining project sustaining burns on the face Referring him to the Tarime District Hospital for further investigations.
I started feeling the problems in May this year, he said. I have a farm near the Tigithe River. When it was hot and sweaty I would bath in the water and wash my face and body to cool down.
It felt different, when I tasted the water, it didnt taste normal, it was a salty taste, and it was the feeling of rubbing salt in wounds
I was referred to the district hospital, but because I had no money, I didnt go.
For me, said Chacha, I need only treatment, so I can do work. Now I can only lie in bed, or do soft work
The community state that Barrick are not compensating people fairly, if at all and Barrick state that they are compensating people handsomely.
Gerhard Hermann, the Production manager for NMGM Ltd. says We compensate them for their land, for crops on their land and also for any structures.
We pay as if their entire property was planted with bananas (even if its not), we call that the full banana concept.
No sick or displaced person appears to be taking direct action against Barrick.
No one has laid any charges against us as far as Im aware, said Hermann. (Because) they have to have a case, and the fact that theyre not doing anything, makes you question if they really have a case or not.
Barrick were not able to replace the lining completely until August this year; due to manufacturer delays, meaning that between May and August acidic liquid was soaking into the earth and leaking out into the environment unstopped.
This is where we want to dig a trench, so if we ever have breach of the liners again we can pick up the seepage in a nice deep liner here and then pump it back into the ponds, said Hermann
contaminated shambas
Currently, the water flowing from directly below the containment pond is at a pH level of about 4-4.5. Tanzanian drinking water standards are between 6.5 and 7.5.
According to Barrick, 10 meters downstream from where polluted water enters the river, the pH is back up to normal because of dilution.
Barrick claim to be operating on a zero-discharge policy, meaning that no water from the waste or leach ponds will enter into this environment. This process was explained to me while standing next to the leach pond looking up at the massive wall of the waste dump containing Potentially Acid Forming (PAF) material (sulphuric acid).
Basically what it is, is an impervious layer, right at the bottom of high dense polyethylene plastic, 1mm thick, dense plastic, which the acid cannot penetrate through, we have a drainage system on top of that, and on top of that a waste dump.
So any water percolating through the waste dump can only report to one place and thats the pond, when it hits that liner, it cant go anywhere else, the only place water from there can go from there is into the drainage pipe, and the only place those drainage pipes go to is a lined leach pond once it reaches the leach-pond it is also completely contained.
Unless of course something breaches it, which is what is said to have happened.
destroyed PVC lining for the ponds
They are trying to put the blame on the community, said Chacha Wambura, the executive director of Foundation HELP, an NGO based 100 km away in the town of Musoma. Wambura has been working to expose environmental issues around the NMGM and running awareness-raising and capacity building campaigns for the national community.
People are not cooperating because they want justice to be done.
The community can be aggressive, but the company (and the government) are not trying to alleviate problems.
The government are backing Barrick 100 percent, without knowing it they are fueling their own graves; because this water flows into the Mara River, and discharges into Lake Victoria, and so many animals and humans will be affected by that.
Mara River
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3 comments
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Running Away From Home; Mara Girls Escaping FGM »
3 Responses
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Evans Rubara said, on January 18, 2010 at 9:54 am </STRONG>
This is soo devastating yet Barrick wants the world to believe that they are good in terms of CSR?
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Anadell said, on February 24, 2010 at 3:29 am </STRONG>
this awful lets to the Barrick, Barrick is now in Dominican Republic trying to do disaster and we can allow it.
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Warchild said, on March 6, 2010 at 1:06 pm </STRONG>
I have first hand photographs of a diesel fuel supply station at the Gokon Workshops at North Mara that was demolished and the area never properly rehabilitated before a new concrete structure was built over it. This was done sas per the General Manager of North Mara Gold Mines instruction. The said area is heavily polluted with hydrocarbons which are leaching into the water sources.
How can i sen you these photographs and other information on the environmental cover ups? The site has a very competent environmental manager and team who are deidated to their work, but actions are simply over-ridden by the general manager
Please advise an e-mail address where I can send the relevant information to.
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