NEWS

By Catherine Talavera | The Philippine Star | February 4, 2022 12:00AM

MANILA, Philippines — A mining operator in Davao Oriental is implementing an upgraded environmental plan after the siltation and discoloration of two rivers in Banaybanay town.

In a statement, Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corp. (Riverbend)/Arc Nickel Resources Inc. (ANRI) said it has already taken steps to enhance its environment control systems to prevent a repeat of the incident. This was in response to the order issued by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

Riverbend/ANRI said it constructed an additional 13 settling ponds, and installed silt curtains in strategic points to prevent silt from going to the sea.

It has also swiftly initiated zero discharge of wastewater by suctioning of impounded water and is building two mega dams.

“Upon discovery of the unfortunate incident, we immediately implemented measures to address the discoloration and siltation of the Mapagba and Pintatagan rivers,” ANRI president Josue Lapitan said.

“And with the prescribed environmental control improvements already in place, we are seeing significant progress in the cleanup and rehabilitation efforts and are confident similar occurrences won’t happen again,” he said.

Riverbend/ANRI said inspection teams from the MGB, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), and Community Environmental and Natural Resources Office, had been to the site to monitor the ongoing cleanup as well as the construction of new infrastructure to improve the mining site’s capacity to handle exceptional rainfall volume.

Apart from implementing upgraded environmental control measures, the company also immediately provided food assistance to the affected residents.

In addition,the group is implementing a cash-for-work program wherein members of affected families are hired to help in the cleanup efforts and the planting of bamboos along the sides of rivers and other strategic areas to prevent erosion.

“We would like to express our sincere apologies to all those in the affected communities and we assure them that their welfare is of utmost importance,” Lapitan said.

“We are working as fast as we can to clean up the affected rivers and thus lessen the inconvenience to them,” he said.

Based on the initial investigation and assessment of DENR-Davao Region, together with the region’s MGB and EMB, the siltation and discoloration of the Mapagba and Pinatatagan rivers were due to the extraction activity of Riverbend/ANRI.

“Heavy and continuous rains last January 13 and 14 have pushed overburden materials which contributed to the overflowing of silt ponds, draining towards the said rivers,” the DENR said in its report.

Source: Philstar