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Small-Scale Gold Mining: Impact on Health and the Environment in Southwest Ecuador, the use of research and environment policies PDF Print E-mail
Written by Oscar Betancourt, FUNSAD   
Monday, 08 June 2009 08:23

1. INTRODUCTION

One of the oldest gold producing zones in the country that still has a significant production is located in the Puyango river basin (Zaruma and Portovelo Cantons). Small-scale mining is predominant in this zone. Due to minimal organisation, limited technological development and a lack of controls, there is an inefficient exploitation of mineral resources, there are negative effects on the environment and the work is dangerous and badly paid.
Since 1999, FUNSAD, with the support of IDRC of Canada, has been running a project to determine environmental and human health impacts caused by mining activity, applying an ecosystem approach. The central objectives are to evaluate the presence of mercury, lead and cyanide and their impacts on health, as well as socio-economic and political aspects related with the contamination dynamic and its relation to human health and environmental management. From 2001, an intervention process was added that allows for linking research with health and environmental policies.

2. WHAT NEEDS OR DEMANDS DOES IT RESPOND TO?

Regarding the needs, the Project is an ethical response to the perceived needs of communities in the Puyango river basin. A reduction in environmental contamination is also beneficial for tourism in the zone, improved soil use and the profitability of mining activity. The reduction of river contamination is an important element in making the Puyango-Tumbes irrigation and hydroelectric project viable, which would benefit inhabitants of the Ecuador and Peru border area. The Project also responds to community concerns regarding the health impacts caused by contamination; to the needs of local governments for contamination and land use controls; to the pressure from mining authorities for the law to be complied with and to the pressure from Peru to reduce contamination in the Puyango river.
From an academic point of view, it seeks to fill knowledge gaps in regard to: i) the dynamic of chemical substances in the environment and its impact on human health, and ii) social responses and economic, political and cultural processes related to environmental contamination and health in the Puyango river basin. With these inputs, the aim is to develop a model that includes a consistent theory of environmental management in small-scale mining zones.

3. RELATION WITH THE MISAMA OBJECTIVES AND GOALS

The Project covers five of the eight MISAMA priority areas.
  •  Integral management of water resources, particularly in relation to heavy metals contamination of the Puyango river.
  • Air quality, particularly in regard to the emission of chemical substances (heavy metals and cyanide in the form of smoke, gas and vapours).
  • Appropriate management of chemicals such as mercury and cyanide.
  • Workers’ health, in this case that of miners and their families.
  • Sustainable development's ethics from a health and environmental perspective.
In relation to MISAMA goals the project concur with the following ones:
  • Prevention and mitigation of contamination of water for human consumption, urban, industrial (mining) and agricultural use.
  • Solid waste management.
  • Development of strategies to improve air quality at home, the work place and public spaces.
  • Generation of chemical emission records.

4. STRATEGIES AND METHODOLOGIES

The ecosystem approach to human health was used to promote the health of communities through the development of environmental management methods that guarantee the sustainability of ecosystems and the health of the population. This approach has been applied in two dimensions: a) in the research, with an integrative conception of the determining factors involved in the environment and health process and b) in the intervention, where it allowed for the integration of the principles of transdisciplinarity, community participation, equity and gender approach.
In the research, different types of quantitative and qualitative techniques were used.

Action-research

Being an action-research proposal, research results were used to define, together with local stakeholders, the specific intervention plan, the content and characteristics of the interventions and execution strategies for the selected solutions.
The following strategies were used:
  • Dissemination at all levels of research results, in order to inform and motivate for action.
  • Maintaining close and permanent relations with local governments (Portovelo and Zaruma municipalities).
  • Articulation with civil society organisations such as the Comité Cívico Cantonal de Zaruma
  • Organisation and implementation of joint activities with these decision-makers social stakeholders.
  • Interventions and policies development and implementation in consensus with local stakeholders.
  • Use of dynamic participation strategies (workshops, courses, role-playing, work meetings with local experts, field visits, community assemblies).
  • The creation and permanent support of municipal environmental management units (UGAM) providing consultancy and monitoring regarding environmental contamination by mining.

5. RESULTS

Due to mining activity and erosion, caused by deforestation and inappropriate agricultural practices (e.g. burning-off), a large amount of particles in suspension were found, as well as significant lead, mercury and manganese concentrations in river sediments and particle material, and also cyanide in water (Hg 250 ng/L and Pb 160 mg/L, upper basin; Hg 110 ng/L and Pb 50 mg/L, lower basin).
Inhabitants of the Puyango basin have dangerous levels of lead in their bodies. Several neuro-behavioural tests showed low performance (i.e. greater deterioration) in lower basin inhabitants as compared with upper basin inhabitants (p<0.05). An early manifestation of nervous system deterioration is found in people who consume fish and use mercury for gold amalgamation.
From a socio-economic, political and cultural perspective it can be said that in the last fifteen years results achieved in contamination reduction are small. Several problems making difficult programs or projects implementation and laws enforcement have been detected:
  • Low productivity of mines, poor technological and organizational development, limited access to credit and a lack of feasible alternative solutions based on local resources.
  • Difficulties for laws and regulations enforcement. Small-scale miners still have a significant political and economic influence, which they employ to avoid compliance with the law and consequent sanctions. Corruption is an additional factor that impedes compliance with the law and the decentralization of jurisdictions.
  • Limited institutional participation and coordination.
  • Cultural and economic concepts that limit environmental controls and health protection. Several miners thought that the river is self-cleaning and most people think that the solution of the problem is the State’s responsibility.
  • Limited participation of local authorities in the whole process. Personal psychological characteristics, management style, populist practices and patronage  (to gain votes) do not help to create broadly based consensus proposals.
  • Absence of alternative sources of work. Increased production costs due to external migration and dollarisation.
  • Low State priority for health and environmental policies.
  • Political and resource weakness of the Environment Ministry.

6. RESULTS IMPLEMENTATION

Inter-institutional and inter-sectorial partnerships

Research results have enabled the Energy and Mines Ministry to pressurize miners to implement environmental management plans that avoid the discharge of tailings (contaminated sand) and effluents into the river.
Civil participation in planning and implementation of actions was promoted through the Comité Cívico Cantonal de Zaruma. Environmental and health management was incorporated in the strategic planning for cantonal development. Parallel to this the environmental decentralisation process from central government to sectional and municipal governments is being supported and an agreement has been signed transferring jurisdictions from the Environment Ministry to the municipalities.

Local institutions consolidation

The project promoted the creation, by municipal decree, of the Unidad de Gestión Ambiental Municipal (UGAM) in Portovelo and Zaruma municipalities. The planning, implementation and evaluation of actions are jointly performed with FUNSAD. This support reinforces the compliance with contamination and land use (location of mineral processing plants) controls.

Formulation and management of projects for mobilization of resources

In a sustained process, municipal officials and members of cantonal civic committees and parish development councils, are trained in the formulation and management of projects in order to articulate a bank of projects to be implemented with their own resources or through state or international funding.

Support for mining organisations

Support was provided for the formulation, by consensus between the Mining Ministry, mining organisations and municipalities, of terms of reference for collective Environmental Impact Studies and their respective Environmental Management Plans, as prerequisites for the legalization of mineral processing plants.

Support for local initiatives in community participation, education and communication

In the upper basin ecological clubs have been formed with the participation of school and college students. The objectives are training, raising awareness and implementing actions for environmental care. In the lower basin, the community and provincial authorities have taken action to supply drinking water (in Puyango Viejo Community) and domestic filters for river water treatment (in Las Vegas and Gramadal communities).
At present, the project is also studying socio-economic and cultural aspects that have a bearing on environmental management and, through the Comité Cívico Cantonal, is promoting civil participation, with gender equity, in the planning and implementation of actions. The objective is to include environmental and health management in strategic plans for cantonal development. Parallel with this, the process of environmental decentralisation from central government to sectional and municipal government is being supported. Also, environmental contamination impacts on the children of the basin are being studied (especially those caused by heavy metals).

7. LESSONS LEARNED

The use of the ecosystem approach is a methodological tool that provided the possibility to know part of the complex reality, and above all has allowed for the articulation of interventions that are adapted to the culture, the interests of stakeholders and existing resources.
With local stakeholders participation the project formulation process identified favourable and unfavourable factors for intervention. This has been useful in limiting intervention to situations in which it has a greater cost-effectiveness and political feasibility.
Any solution to the problem of river contamination caused by mining faces more negative than positive factors. However the partnership between governments and civil society institutions in Zaruma-Portovelo and in northern Peru is the prior strategy for the promotion of a thriving international demand and the allocation of bi-national and international resources. The project of declaring Zaruma as a Cultural Heritage area and the entire zone as a Geological Mining area, which must include land use policies, is also a strategy that should be used to generate controls resulting in the implementation of activities in the field of health and environment.
With the joint efforts of all concerned the situation can be changed. The positive factors must become predominant. The path is open.
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