Mining Operations Bring Worries To Izabal

Mining Operations Bring Worries to Izabal

By Ana Lucía Blas, Prensa Libre

Guatemala, Saturday 10th June 2006

The request of the Guatemalan Nickel Company (GNC) for a metals mining license in Izabal has caused worries within nearby communities, because of the environmental effects which this activity could bring. "We are fishing persons, dependent on the Lake Izabal for our livelihood, this is why we are worried about the damages that mining could cause," said Hugo Muralles, resident of Cocales.

"We don't have the training nor education to work in the mines, and if they destroy the natural resources, how are we and our children going to survive?" asks Reginaldo López, another fisherperson from Cocales.

Heidy Garcia, director of the nature reserve Vida Silvestre Bocas del Polochic, is worried about the impact of mining activity on the biodiversity of the region: "Imagine three barges hauling materials to and from the mines three times a day, in a lake which is home to the manatí," she asserted.

The population stated their worries and fears yesterday during a meeting with representatives of the Technical Environmental Consultants (CTA) the company which is making the studies of environmental impact for the mining project Féliz, which will be developed in El Estor.