San Juan de la Maguana province senator Felix Bautista (Fuerza del Pueblo – San Juan de la Maguana) warns of the damages the exploitation of a gold mine located in the Romero section of the Sabaneta municipal district would bring to the southwestern province. Bautista refers to the interests of the Canadian mining company, Goldquest in the operation of a gold mine in the area.
Bautista acknowledges the tax revenues and economic impact of the mine on the area. Nevertheless he says it would harm more than 500,000 inhabitants and the flora and fauna of the region.
“We are strongly opposed to the exploitation of the Romero Mine in the San Juan province, since its exploitation in that place would be highly detrimental to the San Juan Valley and to the Enriquillo Region,” said the legislator.
Among the reasons for his opposition, he pointed out that the mining exploitation is located just upstream of the Sabaneta Dam. He said if the company is authorized to exploit the Romero mine, the mining operation would affect the water production, the ecosystem and would contaminate the waters of the dam, affecting the inhabitants of San Juan and other neighboring provinces.
“The contamination of water with cyanide would affects animal and plant life. That is to say, it would affect the development process of plants, destroy the life of birds, fish and any animal species; produce respiratory problems in humans, alter the nervous, arterial and digestive systems; and affect the development of pregnancy and contribute to premature births and other problems,” warned the legislator.
The San Juan de la Maguana senator asks President Luis Abinader to not authorize the environmental impact study for the exploitation of the Romero mine.
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Listin Diario
Goldquest Corporation
29 September 2022