The member of NGO
Ban Toxic led by Misael Santos, chief operations officer (second from right),
reports to Mayor Ricarte Padilla (right) on the progress of mercury-free
operations in Baranggay Sta Rosa Sur, where 90 gold panners have shifted to the
use of Borax, another chemical, in gold recovery. - MWBuzzpic by ALFREDO P
HERNANDEZ
By ALFREDO P
HERNANDEZ
ABOUT 90
small-scale gold miners in Baranggay Sta Rosa Sur, in Jose Panganiban,
Camarines Norte, have abandoned the use of mercury for borax -- another chemical
-- in gold recovery.
This was reported
by the local unit of BanToxic.com, a non-governmental organization, to Mayor
Ricarte Padilla recently.
Misael Santos,
the NGO's chief operations officer, told Ricarte the Sta Rosa Sur gold miners
have shifted to the use of borax, a chemical which proved to be safe to use in
recovering gold from tailings.
"The 90
converts have been convinced that they have better gold recovery when they use
borax instead of the dangerous mercury," Santos said.
These
two bay miners use an outrigger boat, a sluicing gadget, a bucket, a shovel and
hats to recover gold from the shallow portion of Mambulao Bay. - MWBuzzpic by
ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
He said that Ban
Toxic had earlier demonstrated the use of borax as the safer alternative to
mercury.
"Since then,
the rest of the gold panners in the baranggay had undergone training in
mercury-free gold recovery."
Padilla has
become a strong advocate of mercury-free small-scale gold operations in the
country.
"With 90
gold panners in Sta Rosa shifting to borax, we have proven that gold could be
recovered in safe and inefficient manner," he told MWBuzz.
With the success
in the use of borax as gold recovery agent, a summit on mercury-free gold
recovery would be held in Jose Panganiban this coming September, Santos said.
He said that he
is confident that the rest of small-scale gold miners in the municipality of
Jose Panganiban would soon abandon the use of mercury in recovering gold in
favor of borax.
Small-scale
mining, particularly gold panning, is one of the most-sought sources of
livelihood in Jose Panganiban, where rich gold districts could be found in a
number of baranggays that included Sta Rosa Sur, Sta Rosa Norte, Bagong-bayan,
Osmena, Luklukan Sur and Norte, Calogcog and Pag-asa.
Small-scale gold panners operate on the bay of Mambulao, just a stone's throw
away from the municipal building, causing the bay water murky and silted up almost
permanently. - MWBuzzpic by ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
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