President Danilo Medina visited Barrick Gold yesterday, Tuesday 8 October where he was met by Manuel Rocha, the company’s president in the DR, and senior executive vice president Kelvin Dushinsky. During the visit, Rocha assured him that the company would not defraud the country and that they would apply the best practices to protect the environment in the course of the company’s operations. Environmental groups have been raising red flags about major health problems due to pollution attributed to the mining company, but Rocha went on to say that the rivers in the area had changed noticeably due to the remedial action they have taken. Thirty years ago they were dark red, affected by acid water from the sulfur produced by the previous mine owner [the Dominican government] but he said that now the water was clear and that local people could use it for consumption and fishing.
He showed the President the processes they used to extract gold with modern technology that has significantly reduced the environmental impact.
Rocha reiterated that as well as doing all they could to preserve the environment they had also invested more than RD$700 million in social responsibility programs including enabling development in the municipality, aqueducts, reforestation, production, rural infrastructure, small businesses and health. He said they had also purchased more than RD$80,000 million from local suppliers, which, according to Rocha had had a big economic impact on the whole country.
President Medina was accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Gustavo Montalvo and the Director of Mines Alexander Medina. The Canadian ambassador in the country Georges Boisse was also on the tour.
www.presidencia.gob.do/comunicados/barrick-dice-no-defraudar%C3%A1-al-pa%C3%ADs-presidente-medina-recorre-instalaciones