Review of improving the water management for the informal gold mining in Colombia

Abstract

Colombia is one of the largest producers of gold in Latin America and it has recently increased its production, especially in the Departments of Antioquia, Chocó, Bolívar and Córdoba, which in 2014 produced 90% of Colombia's gold. Most of this production comes from artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM). Parallel with this boost in production, there is concern about the health of rivers, since many local mines discharge untreated waters and tailings directly to waterways. This situation has awakened awareness in the communities of Colombia. Water is essential to carry out daily activities and for their society and economy. This article review displays three current challenges in Colombia that have been identified with local government, universities, environmental authorities, consultants and mining industry. These challenges are: water pollution; aquifer protection; and changes in natural sedimentation in rivers. Based on previous work done in the region, this paper suggests new research directions to create opportunities for more sustainable practices. In particular, this paper identifies the opportunity to implement a series of practices to manage water and tailings at informal mining sites. The paper also highlights the importance of engaging communities, informal and formal miners, government and researchers in order to create consciousness of the importance of water in Colombia. This is an opportunity to create discussions that help miners to manage water and tailings, adapting these practices to their specific needs and through simple technologies. RESUMEN:Colombia es uno de los mayores productores de oro en América Latina, y recientemente ha aumentado su producción, especialmente en los departamentos de Antioquia, Chocó, Bolívar y Córdoba, los cuales en 2014 tuvieron una participación del 90% en la producción total de oro del país. La mayor parte de esta producción proviene de la Minería Aurífera Artesanal y de Pequeña Escala (ASGM, por sus siglas en ingles). Simultáneamente a este aumento en la producción, existe una preocupación por la contaminación que se genera sobre los recursos hídricos del país, debido a que la mayoría de minas artesanales e informales arrojan los relaves o desechos del proceso de recuperación de oro a los afluentes hídricos sin recibir ningún tipo de tratamiento previo. Esta situación ha despertado preocupación en las comunidades cuya economía se ha visto afectada, pues el agua que proviene de los ríos no solo es utilizada para satisfacer sus necesidades, sino también en la agricultura para el riego de los cultivos. En este trabajo se exponen tres desafíos actuales que posee el país frente a la utilización del agua en la mineria de oro tradicional, estos retos fueron identificados gracias a la colaboración del gobierno local, entes académicos, las autoridades ambientales, consultores y la industria minera. Estos desafíos son: la contaminación de los ríos producto de los desechos o relaves de la mineria artesanal de oro, la protección de los acuíferos y los cambios ...

Disarmament is the New War, Gold is the New Opium, and Ecohealth is the Historic Victim

“…The estimates do not include the surface areas of altered river courses and dredged riverbeds, which are more difficult to estimate regarding surface area impacted, and for which both mercury and cyanide are typically employed to remove gold from river sediments. The bulk of tailings from such informal mining are discharged directly into the Colombian rivers, 29 completely changing their natural hydromorphology and increasing the load of sediments downstream. Biological communities that require clear water may disappear due to water contaminated with suspended solids and sediment pollution.…”

Factors Associated with High Mercury Levels in Women and Girls from The Mojana Region, Colombia, 2013–2015

“…During these processes, large amounts of mercury are released into the environment, which then reach nearby fresh water bodies where the mercury can be methylated and subsequently bioaccumulated in aquatic fauna. Due to its density, the gold accumulates at the base of placer deposits [1].…”

“…The majority of mining activities in Colombia are carried out by placer mining (51%) and underground mining (30%) [1]. Hg appears in the environment in three general forms: elemental, inorganic, and organic.…”

The solid waste in Colombia analyzed via gross domestic product: towards a sustainable economy

“…Several innitiatives from industry and academia have as main goals the waste recycling, [41][42][43][44][45] the manufacturing of green materials [46,47], the circular economy [48], the development of low CO 2 footprint manufacturing [49][50][51] and the energy harvesting [52,53]. Other works have been very diverse and developed not only in the biggest urban areas but also in small cities with topics important for the country that include mining, organic waste valotization, metals and plastic recycling: [54][55][56][57][58][59].…”