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https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jan/01/el-salvador-environment-rivers-water-pollution-mining-ban-repealed-authoritarian-nayib-bukele-protest>
"Vidalina Morales realised that something was wrong with the water not far from
where she lived in 2004. A toxic red stain spreading through the San Sebastián
River in El Salvador seemed to contaminate the environment and worried
residents.
As part of a campaign to protect her home and the environment, Morales, 54,
visited mining projects near the river to learn about the risks the extractive
sector posed. “I was shocked by the extent of the destruction of their
environment,” she says.
Since then, Morales has become the face of the fight against mining in El
Salvador. Perhaps because she knew the power of the pro-mining lobby, she and
her fellow resistance members celebrated only briefly when their country became
the first in the world to ban metal mining in 2017. Deep down, she says, she
knew the fight was far from over.
Seven years later, her fears have been realised as mining has been reintroduced
in El Salvador. On 23 December, its congress voted to overturn the ban on
metals mining, a move championed by the hardline president, Nayib Bukele, who
is prioritising economic growth over environmental concerns.
The new legislation grants the government exclusive control over mining
activities and prohibits the use of toxic mercury in gold extraction.
However, despite the regulations, environmentalists have promised strong
opposition, citing potential irreversible damage to ecosystems and public
health. Other minerals released into the environment by gold-mining include
arsenic, for instance.
Cidia Cortes, an environmental biologist, says: “In the San Sebastián River,
arsenic levels are 300 times higher than international safety standards. Acid
drainage turns the water a poisonous red, contaminating water, air and land.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
