UN cites Kalinga miners for env’t-friendly practices

TABUK CITY -- The co-coordinator of the United Nations’ Environment Programme’s (UNEP) CITED small scale miners in Kalinga for their efforts in doing away with mercury use in small scale mining in the province.

Susan Egan Keane, a senior environmental analyst from the New York-based Natural Resources Defence Council, one of the leading environmental groups in the United States, Called the Kalinga small-scale miners ‘pioneers’ as she addressed the participants of the Kalinga Provincial Summit on Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining held in this capital city.

“It will be difficult and you will face many challenges because you are pioneers. You lead and pave the way for the better future of your children and your province,” Keane said.

She lauded the efforts of the small-scale miners in Kalinga in pushing for mercury-free mining practise in the province. The use of mercury was banned in the province since 2012.

But apart from this, she also called on the national government to help the small scale miners in their transition to mercury-free mining techniques.

Keane discussed the Mercury Treaty and its impacts on the lives and livelihood of small scale miners around the globe. The Mercury Treaty – also called the Minamata Convention on Mercury – provides controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted.

“Miners need help in making transition to mercury-free mining techniques, and the government who signed the treaty are compelled to do so,” Keane said.

The treaty will be open to ratification this coming October in Minamata, Japan. Minamata is the place where the first major outbreak of mercury poisoning was documented. The disease is now known as Minamata Poisoning.

Mercury use was prohibited in the Executive Order 79, signed last year by President Benigno Aquino III aiming to rationalize and strengthen the mining sector in the country.

Kalinga is one of the seven most important provinces in the country involved in artisanal and small scale gold mining. There is a large number of small-scale mining operations in the province, particularly in Pasil and Balbalan.

Small scale mining is a source of living for approximately 5000 miners in the area, and was a major contributor to mercury pollution of the Chico River.

Mercury use in ASGM was known to be one of the highest contributors in mercury pollution in the atmosphere. It was also known to have significant negative effects in the environment and people’s health.

ASGM summits are one of the activities conducted by BAN Toxics to push for the eradication of the use of mercury in small-scale mining by capacitating small scale miners in the countryside.

The summit also gathers representatives from the national government, concerned agencies, and small scale miners and workers to bring out issues and concerns on the small-scale mining sector.

The Kalinga ASGM Summit is made possible through the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Dialogos, Global Environmental Fund, University of Copenhagen, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and the International Center for Occupational, Environment, and Public Health (ICOEPH) in partnership with the provincial government of Kalinga, Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.