The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) has issued a notice of violation to mining firm Greenstone Resources Corp. (GRC).
The DENR said investigation conducted on May 12 by EMB Caraga on GRC facilities and operations in Mainit, Surigao del Norte found the company in violation of the terms of its environmental compliance certificate (ECC) and provisions of the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.
The DENR said a crack seen along the foot of the tailings storage facility 3 (TSF 3) embankment caused a heavy flow of the tailings from TSF 3 that damaged 25 houses in Barangay Siana, Mainit in Surigao del Norte, electrical distribution lines and coconut trees.
GRC operates the Siana gold and silver resources using open pit and underground mining methods.
TSF 3 is an old tailings storage facility used by the company’s previous owner.
The EMB said eroded tailings downstream of the TSF and those that are still inside the facility are exposed and vulnerable to runoff water during heavy downpour and could be washed into the nearest bodies of water.
The report also noted the high risk of polluting Magpayang River and other waterbodies farther downstream as the volume of unsecured tailings which may still contain chemicals and hazardous wastes as a result of the mineral processing some time ago.
The EMB said these findings are in violation of the conditions of GRC’s ECC issued in April 2009, and Section 10.14 of DENR’s Revised Guidelines for Pollution Control Office Accreditation.
The EMB ask GRC to submit remedial measures to address the immediate needs and impacts of the incident, to determine the volume of the tailings that were displaced from the TSF and to have a long-term program for rehabilitation and clean-up activities addressing environmental risks and long-term impacts of the incident.
The agency said GRC committed to submit its rehabilitation and restoration plan and agreed to pay the penalty for each violation the amount of which was not disclosed.
The DENR said no casualty was reported and company voluntarily reported the incident and suspended its operation.
GRC is a company under TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc.
