the 7th of August in his inaugural address as President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos Calderon said: "We are one nation with the highest biological diversity of the world, and more water wealth, and are called to preserve it for good of ourselves and humanity." ...." We will create the National Water Agency to ensure greater protection of water and our natural resources. " Elsewhere in his speech the President Santos emphasized the need to create jobs to reduce the highest rate of unemployment in Latin America in addition to emphasizing the "locomotives" that his government moved to Colombia forward. These "engines" are field development, infrastructure, housing, mining and innovation in technology.
According to the speech by President Santos, its challenges include the protection of bio-diversity, taking care to ensure safe drinking water, and the creation of jobs for millions of unemployed, simultaneously with monitoring of mining operations such as planned in paramo of Santurban.
Located in the eastern cordillera of the Andes is a series of mountains called Santurban knot. They stopped territory, terms, or pre-Roman language desolado.Y means are desolate lands because they are in the barrier of 3.000 to 5.000 meters high which is characteristic vegetation of shrubs and herbs. Her desolation is apparent, because both their bushes and their herbs are in constant action, retaining water vapor and eternal mists into liquid water. The secret is in the nature of the volcanic ash soil containing organic material and aluminum. The accumulated organic material, combined with low temperatures, dormant microbial activity and acumula.Al combined with aluminum particles are resistant to decomposition and thus help to retain water for long periods which will slowly and steadily releasing . They do not produce water because this comes from rain, ice and snow nieblay heights beyond 5,000 meters, but it collects the water and regulate. So the Andean highlands are considered "factory" natural water. Also by the very nature of its soil, stop the atmosphere store carbon to help control global warming. The Andes Mountains are stars basins in South America. These mountains may well provide the answer to global warming and water shortages.
In the specific case of Santurban, the ecosystem supports a high biodiversity in addition to its water supply from rivers, and lakes. Santurban has 85 lakes, gives rise to a number of rivers and streams that sustain the agricultural economy and low density areas, in addition to supplying water to the 2'200 .000 people living in the cities of Bucaramanga and Cucuta and 20 surrounding municipalities.
. It offers 457 species of plants are the frailejon Espeletia Conglomerate, ferns, orchids, mosses, lichens and oak Quercus humboldtii. Colombia is the country in the world with the highest number of bird species and of these 201 are endemic to Santurban. Many amphibians like frogs and lizards and mammals live there, as the Andean bear "Tremarcus ornatus" extincion.Tiene also threatened with a large area of \u200b\u200bwetlands called peatlands ", which act like sponges to a greater or lesser amount of water according to the time of year. According
reported El Pais in Madrid on December 5, 2010 on an analysis of the website Wikileaks, "the South American continent, Washington's priorities are clear:" mines. " It seems that also for Canada, since its multinational Greystar request permission to mine gold in the area of \u200b\u200bSanturban. Specifically in the area near the gorge of Angostura, which takes its name. In the municipalities of veins and California, the English Crown gold bag from 1500, mines of adits (tunnels) and the traditional way, ie, in small quantities and steadily since then
But the technology is very different from that era to the technology you want to use Greystar.Esta company plans to intervene 1.104.19 acres, build two stacks and a heap leaching at a height of 2.600 to 4.100 meters. The process uses heavy machinery to destroy the topsoil to expose the soil, then use explosives to loosen the soil. The hole that opens will have a depth of 200 meters. 1075 million will be removed tons of rock, of which 775 million will go to the dump tons and 300 million will leach piles. Were used 25 kg of explosives per ton of rock removed per hour, for a total of 7.000 tons per month. There will be two piles of leaching a ravine near the Narrows and another near the creek Paez. The concentration of sodium cyanide used would be 500 mg / liter of water.The volume of sodium cyanide in stack will be from 4500 to 5000 cubic meters per hour. The cycle is 60 days and the leaching time 10 años.Se estimated that the amount of water used by the mine will be of 250,000 liters per hour. Greystar plans to extract 11.5 million ounces of gold and 61 million ounces of silver in 15 años.Cuando go, let the hole and the desert to remember them.
The mine generates many questions, that will happen to the 85 gaps? What will happen to the basins of the rivers Zulia and Lebrija that are in the mining area? What will happen to the rivers Surata, Tona and Cold aqueduct supplying the Bucaramanga? Near the city is building a dam to supply the aqueduct that serves a million people. Since the project would affect the Angostura generation of water in the paramo, then to the dam is built? cyanide heap accumulated in the degraded and airs therefore has a risk of long-term pollution and acid rain originating in this region producing water excellence ..
What will happen to biodiversity and species extinction via living there? What will happen to the millions of tons of cyanide-impregnated earth will leave the multinational? What will happen with the remaining sterile soil?
More questions: what will happen to the groundwater? By using so much water in the mine currents weaken and diminish their potential while removing soil water sensors. The cyanide-water basins can be broken, their Containment levels beyond what is provided by action of excess rain or an earthquake, high-frequency in the Cordillera Oriental, could cause the presence of cyanide in the rivers originating high in the paramo and supplying the public water and cities in the lower area of \u200b\u200bthe cyanide transport, especially the areas located at the top of the mountain is dangerous because the nature of the vertical field, the uncertainty of weather conditions and road construction as primitive.
Before leaving the presidency, Alvaro Uribe signed leave mining concessions in most of the stop in Colombia. The portal The Empty Chair (
http://www.lasillavacia.com/histori ... ) reports that at the end of its mandate surface acres in the country with mining title, went from 1.13 to 8.53 million of which 6.3% are in the moors. The most unfortunate that this happened when he had made an amendment to the Mining Code prohibiting the exploitation in stop, but he took eight months to sign the law in those 8 months the number of mining increased dramatically.
Colombia's Constitution of 1991 mandates the protection of ecologically important areas and natural resources. In fact, Law 1382 of 2010 expressly prohibited in Article 34 of the Mining Code in mining stopped. Colombia
leaders will do anything except solve the structural problems of injustice. If you develop the economy brings with it the destruction of the vast bio-diversity of the country, then so be it. There is no eagerness to seek any form of development that do not include mining. Deliver to stop predatory multinational companies, which are only interested in extracting mineral wealth, knowing that the mining will always produce consequences in a country like Colombia, is as suicidal as if Saudi Arabia decides to burn its oil fields.
In relation to the creation of employment, experience in other mining operations in Colombia shows us that the permanent jobs created are relatively few. According to George Pierce, a mechanical Caion United States for several years working in the Drummond coal mine in Colombia, once the infrastructure of the mine is built, much of the permanent works are brought skilled workers from abroad.
A new element appears in this case the Greystar in the California town where the mine is building its huge gaps, as in accordance with the constitution, the local population should be consulted before beginning the exploitation and only with your permission can begin works, Greystar has convinced the local population that their presence will bring benefits and give them scholarships to the children, take field trips, build greenhouses to play endemic plants for reforestation and job creation, which is real to build their buildings and the hole but the supply decreases locally because the offer will be made later for technicians from outside. The local population is excited and approves the advent of mining. Quite different from what mine did companion Nias in the South of Bolivar, where paramilitaries used to displace the local population. Worthy of mention is the participation of the World Bank, which so often seem to defend the environment, Greystar has investments through its International Finance Corporation. See
www.ifc.org / ifcext / spiwebsit ... Colombia's government should suspend the granting of mining rights in the producing areas of responsibility agua.Su is not only to Colombia but with the planet. Santurban must be declared national park and the local small and informal mining areas should regularse.En lower rather than mining, such as eco-tourism could offer an excellent alternative. It is time that the government of Colombia put aside his insanity of exploiting Colombia's natural resources to serve the highest bidder and start thinking about the benefit of the people of Colombia who deserve a future of respect and prosperity for all and not to serve the greed of foreign investors. Santos
must take seriously his offer to defend bio-diversity of the country so large and its wealth of water resources, mining forgetting and doing more creative proposals consistent with respect for the environment, such as incentives to return to the field and production food. If you have the courage to do it would be marked in the history of Colombia as a great leader.
IF YOU CARE, SEND THE FOLLOWING URGENT MESSAGES ON GOLD MINING IN SANTURBAD by the Canadian company Greystar AND DISTRIBUTE THE MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS TO WRITE THEM ASKING ALSO TAKE ACTION: Please write to the individuals listed below . Tell them you want to be suspended and the Angostura project because it threatens the drinking water of millions of people and threatens the biodiversity of the Paramo de Santurban .. Tell members of the Colombian government should not be mining in the mountains of Colombia.Recuerdeles your responsibility is not only to Colombia but to the entire planet.
President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos:
juanoviedo@presidencia.gov.co
Minister of Mines Carlos Noriega Shot: crodado@minminas.gov.co
Environment Minister Beatriz Uribe Botero:
ministra@minambiente.gov.co
Governor Horacio Serpa Uribe Santander:
gobernador@santander.gov.co
California Mayor Medardo Garcia Estevez: alcaldia@california-santander.gov.co
LEADERS Write to Greystar and tell them you are very concerned about the risks to the environment Angostura.Digales your project environment is open to mining in the mountains of Colombia and believes that his project should be suspended
Angostura Steve Kesler President CEO and Director Greystar Resources Ltd
skesler@greystarresources.com
333 Seymour St Suite 1430
Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 5A6 Victoria Vargas
Angostura Project in Colombia:
vvargas@greystarresources.com
ESCRIBALE DIRECTOR OF THE WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENT and tell them you are concerned about the serious environmental damage caused by Greystar's Angostura project in Colombia. The World Bank through its International Finance Corporation has provided millions of dollars to finance the Angostura Project. Ask them why they approved this fund when environmental risks are so great.
Mr, James W. Evans: Dear Mr.Evans
wevans@worldbank.org CSN wants to lead a delegation investigating Santurban. If you are interested to
csn@igc.org contactenso
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