‘Illegal mining has dozens of kilometers of underground excavations under Zaruma’

To improve the soil of Zaruma, in the province of El Oro, and that there are no sinkholes, such as the one registered on December 15, geological studies must be carried out to determine the real damage to the affected areas in order to repair them. In addition, it is necessary to tighten the controls to illegal mining, indicates Byron Andrade, president of the Mining and Metallurgical Society, Ecuador section, and professor at UISEK University.

He affirms that illegal miners have carried out dozens of kilometers of excavations under the city of Orense and that is why it is essential that the national government generate definitive solutions.

“I stayed on the street and all my memories left,” laments the owner of one of the houses that collapsed in Zaruma due to a sinkhole

Why did the subsidence in Zaruma occur?

The Zaruma and Portovelo mining district has existed for hundreds of years. The first evidences of mining are from before the colony, but already as a technical activity there are records from 1896 when an American company came that extracted gold for more than 50 years. When this company retires, a national company takes over and then the Ecuadorian State.

In those times, one of the gold extraction methods was known as cut and fill, that is, the mineral is removed, but (the tunnel) is filled with another material that allows the chambers not to be destabilized. Until before the 1940s, the technology that we now have for the recovery of gold that is not visible did not exist. At the time, part of the fillings that were placed in the mines was from what was left over from the mineral processing.

When the metallurgical part is improved, it turns out that those fillings already had important values ​​(metals) to be recovered. Then, informal miners began to extract these fillings and this began to generate instability (in the ground).

Now, it must also be taken into account that the mines were developed first and both Zaruma and Portovelo began to grow based on them due to the labor issue. However, they grew up haphazardly. Zaruma is a city that is in the mountains and many of its buildings are on the slopes and there has been no territorial ordering. In addition, the houses have not been built with the best construction practices and do not have good foundations.

There are also no gutters that prevent rainwater from washing, if the term fits, certain types of material on the ground, generating planes of weakness. In addition, when the city grew it was necessary and essential to create an exclusion zone where mining exploitation was prohibited, which in this case would be the central part of Zaruma.

Illegal mining has tens of kilometers of underground excavations beneath Zaruma’s hull.

Why do you think this exclusion zone has not been created?

There are many hidden interests for illegal mining to remain as it is now. Illegal miners need to plant explosives, but where do those explosives come from? In order for you to acquire industrial explosives as they are used in mining, a series of requirements must be met before the Joint Command of the Armed Forces.

In addition, these explosives cannot be stored in a house, in a vehicle but in powder magazines and the permits to have one are granted by the Armed Forces, the Fire Department and the Agency for Regulation and Control. Obviously these explosives are not in a magazine, but they must be stored somewhere.

Now this illegally mined gold has to be processed in some plant and sold somewhere. To sell gold you need certificates that justify its origin. There is a lot of illegality in this whole process and this has led to all the current consequences.

In 2017, when there was already a subsidence and it affected part of the La Inmaculada school, it was already said that if nothing was done, this would be repeated because under the town of Zaruma there is a vein called Tres Reyes and that still has mineral content. So there are interests.

Illegal miners normally work at night and the sacks with ore are removed from somewhere and not necessarily from mine openings. It would be good to carry out an investigation, at least in the sector where the recent sinking occurred, to find out if there are no connections in rooms or patios of houses with the illegal excavations.

What actions can be taken to improve controls?

As a result of the economic crisis facing the country and the pandemic, the previous government decided to reduce the state apparatus. It merged the Mining Regulation and Control Agency with the Hydrocarbons Regulation and Control Agency and the electricity regulation agency. He left a single body called the Agency for Regulation and Control. Obviously they laid off staff.

So, this new body does not have the sufficient number of technicians or the logistics to do the control both in the legal mines to corroborate if the volume of metals corresponds to the declared one, since that determines the royalties to the State, as well as to detect illegal mines.

The state of exception declared in Zaruma by President Guillermo Lasso is a temporary measure, but actions that last over time must be taken to control illegal mining. I repeat, there are people of great power involved because someone supplies equipment, explosives, processes the mineral and buys it. A very drastic political decision is needed from the government to control this exclusion zone.

Is there a way to repair the soil in Zaruma?

It’s not as easy as saying let’s fill in (the illegal excavations). A geological, geotechnical study is needed, and the participation of professionals such as mining engineers, hydrogeologicals. Obviously all of this will not be cheap. Now, if the Government does not provide this type of solution, then there will be other collapses.

Illegal mining has affected the people of Zaruma and it is not fair that for those affected the effort of years has vanished in seconds. All this has tainted a dignified activity (legal mining). (I)