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Scientists raise
alarm over Rapu-Rapu fishkill report
AGHAM (Samahan ng
Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan) October 29,
2007
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Scientists from the progressive scientists group AGHAM raised alarm
over the reports of new fish kill reports in Rapu-Rapu Island in
Albay.The fish kills happened after heavy and continuous rainfall hit
Rapu-Rapu starting from October 26th up to around 3 a.m. of October
28th, according to Sagip Isla Sagip Kapwa Spokesperson Antonio Casitas
based in Rapu-Rapu Island. They noted that a wide variety of fishes
from eels to small fishes have been found dead and rotting ashore.
AGHAM Chairperson Dr. Giovanni Tapang noted that rotting fish being
washed ashore indicates that the actual fish kill event could have been
as early as October 26 which coincides with the large amount of
rainfall in the area at that time.
“If it was from the Lafayette Mining Limited mining site, then it
seems that there were not enough precaution to prevent another disaster
such as those that happened two years ago. Possible sources of the fish
kill are cyanide release and the heavy metals and mine tailings
loosened from the soil by the rainfall”, Dr. Tapang added. He
further warned residents to refrain from eating the collected fish due
to possible effects to their health.
In 2005, the DENR found that Lafayette company had reduced the dosage
of sodium metabisulfite – the chemical reagent used to reduce
cyanide levels – to nearly half of current industry practice of
using 5 kg/ton of ore leading to high cyanide content when their
tailings were released. AGHAM pointed out that the continuous rainfall
and soil erosion could have brought the runoff, the heavy metals and
acid-mine tailings to the sea and affected the fish population. Driven
by the wind, surface water waves could have dispersed the runoff to
nearby towns such as Pagcolbon, Malobago, Santa Barbara, Carubcob, and
Poblacion where the fish kills have been reported.
“This is very similar to an incident two years ago where mine
tailings spilled inside the Lafayette mining site in two incidents last
October 11 and 31, 2005”, the AGHAM chairperson noted.
“The DENR should have learned from the lesson in 2005. Lafayette
mining operations should have been permanently shut down and
remediation immediately done. We fear that this lapse could have led to
this recent fish kill incident”, Dr. Tapang lamented. He called
on independent scientists to investigate the incident.
In 2006, AGHAM and other independent scientists have already warned
over the vulnerability of the mining site in the island to the wet
season from November to January where typhoons and heavy rains usually
occur. Aside from a mining spill, the area is prone to landslides due
to the steep slope and weakened soil structures in the island. Recent
reports of landslides and floods have already been noted in 19 towns in
nearby Camarines Sur due to the continuous heavy rains.# |
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