DENR NAG-ISYU NG NOTICE OF VIOLATION SA GOLD MINING COMPANY

NAGPADALA  ng Notice of Violation ang Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) sa Region 13- Caraga sa gold mining company na Greenstone Resources Corp. (GRC) kaugnay sa bumigay na tailing storage facility nito na nagdulot ng mudslide at tumangay sa mahigit kumulang 25 na tahanan sa Barangay Siana Mainit, Surigao del Norte kamakailan.

Ito ay matapos magsagawa ng imbestigasyon ang EMB Caraga sa pangunguna ni Officer in Charge Regional Director Dennis Celestial sa Greenstone Resources Corp.’s (GRC) facilities at operations nito sa Mainit, Surigao del Norte,matapos ang insidente na naging dahilan ng paglikas ng mahigit kumulang 55 na pamilya sa apektadong lugar.

Sa isang statement, ipinahayag ng
DENR na natanggap ng GRC ang Notice of Violation mula sa DENR-EMB Region 13 sa paglabag umano nito sa Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) at sa mga provision ng Republic Act (RA) 9275 o “The Philippine Clean Water Act of 20024.

“The investigation conducted on May 12 by EMB Caraga led by OIC Regional Director Dennis Celestial on Greenstone Resources Corp.’s (GRC) facilities and operations in Mainit, Surigao del Norte showed a crack along the foot of the Tailings Storage Facility 3 (TSF 3) embankment. The heavy flow of the tailings from TSF 3 damaged 25 houses in Bgy. Siana, Mainit in Surigao del Norte, electrical distribution lines and coconut trees. The tailings also crossed the barangay road. TSF 3 is an old Tailings Storage Facility used by the company’s previous owner.” ang nakasaad sa naturang statement ng ahensya.

Wala naman aniyang nasugatan o nasaktan sa pangyayari. Boluntaryo rin na huminto sa operasyon ang naturang kompanya matapos ang pangyayari.

“The eroded tailings downstream of the TSF and those that are still inside the facility are exposed and vulnerable to runoff water during heavy downpour anytime of the day and are liable to be washed into the nearest bodies of water.The report further stated the risk of polluting Magpayang River and other waterbodies farther downstream is very high because of the volume of unsecured tailings. These tailing materials may still contain chemicals as a result of the mineral processing some time ago therefore it shall be considered as hazardous wastes,”ang nakasaad na findings ng DENR-EMB Region 13.

Ayon sa findings ng EMB, ang kompanya na natuklasang nagkaroon ng paglabag o violation sa GRC’s ECC na naisyu ng April 2009, at Section 10.14 ng DENR Administrative Order 2014-02 o the Revised Guidelines for Pollution Control Office Accreditation.

“The erosion of the sediments in certain areas of Bgy. Siana is a violation of Section 27 of RA 9275 which prohibits discharging, depositing or causing to be deposited material of any kind directly or indirectly into the water bodies or along the margins of any surface water, where, the same shall be liable to be washed into such surface water, which could cause water pollution or impede natural flow in the water body; and in discharging, injecting or allowing to seep into the soil or sub-soil any substance in any form that would pollute groundwater.Based on its findings, the EMB recommended that the company submit remedial measures to address the immediate needs and impacts of the incident, to determine the volume of the tailings that were displaced from the TSF, and to have a long-term Program with specific period of implementation of rehabilitation and clean-up activities addressing environmental risks and long-term impacts of the incident,” ang nakasaad ng nasabing ulat.

“GRC is further recommended to regularly update EMB on the status of the company’s response operations, to conduct regular water sampling at the established sampling stations to monitor closely the extent of contamination, and to conduct a Root-Case- Analysis of the incident,” ang patuloy na nakasaad sa ulat ng DENR -EMB.

Sa pagpupulong na naganap matapos ang insidente, ipinangako umano ng pamunuan ng GRC na magsusumite ng Rehabilitation and Restoration Plan with Ghant Chart na ipapatupad nito at ang pagbabayad ng penalty sa bawat violation at conditions ng ECC base sa Presidential Decree 1586. Sa bawat araw ng violation o paglabag na nakasaad sa Section 28 RA 9275, ay kailangan nitong magsagawa ng cleaning operations sa lugar at magsumite ng report tungkol dito.

Ang naging findings ay naisagawa matapos ipag -utos ni DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga ang agarang imbestigasyon sa naturang insidente at upang malaman ang pinsalang idinulot ng pangyayari. Ma. Luisa
Macabuhay- Garcia