The possible reactivation of metal mining in El Salvador has raised alarm among environmental organizations and experts who argue that this model cannot be responsible or ethical due to its serious impacts.
Ricardo Navarro, of the Association of Ecological Communities, stresses that the extraction of gold through cyanide and dynamite not only destroys ecosystems, but also pollutes water and air.
According to Navarro, mining companies have tried for decades to exploit gold in El Salvador, but low levels of concentration of the mining make mining economically unfeasible, as well as destructive to the environment.
Amalia López, of the National Alliance against the Privatization of Water, recalled the damage caused by mining in the past, such as the contamination of the San Sebastian River in La Unión; a problem that persists until today and continues to affect nearby communities.
For López, metal mining is not only a risk to drinking water, but also to the lives of Salvadorans, as the economic benefits of mining are minimal compared to social and environmental costs.
For his part, Luis González, of the Salvadoran Ecological Unit, emphasized that gold in El Salvador is not in large concentrations, which forces the use of polluting methods such as the use of cyanide. This, according to González, makes mining incompatible with environmental conservation and public health, as it pollutes water sources and threatens biodiversity.
This article was translated after appearing in La Prensa Grafica