the state company Mining Assets (Amsac) announced the imminent overflow of the Quiulacocha tailings dam, located in Pasco, which would affect the towns of Quiulacocha, Rancas and Yurajhuanca, in addition to contaminating the waters of the Ragra and San Juan rivers.
Through a statement, Amsac demanded that the National Emergency Operations Center (Coer) and Indeci Pasco, in compliance with their functions, take urgent action in the mining environmental liability, a container of around 70 million tons of tailings on an approximate area of 110 hectares.
The Quiulacocha tailings deposit is located in the district of Simón Bolívar, province and department of Pasco, whose remediation and control was assumed by the State and entrusted to Amsac, through Supreme Decree No. 058-2006 EM.
The general manager of Amsac, Antonio Montenegro, reported that the drastic decrease in the free edge of the tailings dam (distance between the highest part of the dam and the level of the water mirror) is the product of the presence of heavy rains that have exceeded on average 8 millimeters per day, and with it Senamhi’s forecasts.
“Currently, the free edge reaches 51.5 centimeters when the tailings dam’s safety range must be greater than 1 meter. Faced with the situation described, we demand the activation of urgent contingency measures to prevent an eventual environmental and social catastrophe”, he remarked.
The official specified that, for the control of acid waters, Amsac has increased treatment volumes from a capacity of 7,000 cubic meters in 2021 to more than 8,000 m3 per day to date. Additionally, he indicated that Amsac has been capturing and diverting rainwater from the Excélsior waste dump.
“Anticipating the increase in rainfall as a result of global warming, we began leveling and maintenance work on the tailings dam, an action derived from the recommendations of the Stability Study carried out within the framework of the Declaration of Overflow Risk issued by the Executive Branch in in 2021. Unfortunately, these tasks were suspended, as a result of the forceful actions of social groups linked to particular reuse interests,” he concluded.
Quiulacocha, apple of discord
Already last January, Amsac informed the international EFE network that the peasant community of Quiulacocha is firmly opposed to the organization carrying out works to level the edge of the tailings dam and prevent a possible overflow that “would have catastrophic effects for more than 2,000 people in the communities of Yurajhuanca, Rancas and others adjacent to Pasco”.
The opposition of the peasant community has occurred since a new agreement was signed in September 2021 with the Canadian-owned mining company Cerro de Pasco Resources, whose plans are to reuse the Quiulacocha tailings to carry out explorations in the El Metalurgista concession, superimposed on the lagoon. .
As of this agreement, the mining company assumed a monthly economic payment to the community, and in return it promised to collaborate so that Cerro de Pasco Resources obtains the necessary permits to carry out its exploration work as soon as possible.
At the moment, Lamsac can only carry out permanent and continuous pumping of acid water for its neutralization and treatment, which reaches 7,100 cubic meters per day. In the event that it cannot prevent the disaster, it holds the Quiulacocha peasant community board and the Cerro de Pasco Resources company entirely responsible for the eventual environmental catastrophe.
Cerro de Pasco Resources in pursuit of Quiulacocha
Manuel Rodríguez Mariátegui, general manager of Cerro de Pasco Resources (CDPR), told the Proactive media outlet that, after a series of negotiations with the authorities, the Canadian company has progressed in permits and licenses, both for Quiulacocha and for El Metalurgista. .
“Quiulacocha is the first tailings we are going to work on. It has 75 million tons of sulfides, including 35 million tons of pyrite. There is a lot of expectation in the city of Cerro de Pasco to deal with these materials”, he sent after the Networking Breakfast & Conference (Online): “Cerro de Pasco Resources and the acquisition of Santander”, organized by the Canada-Peru Chamber of Commerce.
The businessman stated that they started with the desire to take advantage of tailings and clearing; and along the way they acquired the Santander mine with the possibility of obtaining a second operation this year.
The company’s vision is to recover and rehabilitate the entire Quiulacocha area through reuse, instead of spending more than 200 million soles on its closure, as is the case with the surrounding Excélsior clearing plant. It comes out more to account, but for Amsac time is short.
“The surface rights are owned by Activos Mineros, in a Parcela K concession. We are in the final process after several years of negotiation, we are reaching a definition on the operation of this environmental liability. They wanted to close it and we, as private individuals, had been promoting the benefit and retreat”, he concluded.
“With the communities we have already made great progress with respect to the permits obtained. In 2019, the support of the approval of the communal assembly of the peasant community was obtained for the signing of an agreement for two years. In 2021 we renew this agreement for one more year, basically for this exploration stage. What we have not yet signed is a contract for reuse, which would be the main objective,” he added for Proactive.
Source: Larepublica
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
