The authorities are working on operations that are being carried out to counteract the contamination of the water resource and the loss of specimens.
Troops of the Eighth Brigade of the National Army, in coordination with the Brigade Against Mining, the Carabineros Police and Sijin (Judicial Police) of Caldas, found machinery and elements with which illegal exploitation of mining deposits was being carried out under the open-pit modality, using hoses for the extraction of alluvial gold.
In the rural area of Norcasia, department of Caldas, soldiers of Infantry Battalion No. 22 Batalla de Ayacucho, together with the other authorities, in infiltration and control operations work against the illicit extraction of minerals, intervened seven mining production units where gold was extracted, which in turn had already hit about six hectares of vegetation layer and polluted the water sources that flow into the Samaná River.
This operation took place in the village La Quebrada de Roque, in Norcasia, where a dredge engine, 5 internal combustion engines, 1870 meters of hose, 30 rudimentary gutters, 50 meters of expanded mesh, 63 gallons of DIESEL, 10 nozzles for water pressure and various tools were found by troops. This material would cost more than 28 million pesos and was put into custody of the institutions.
The illegal exploitation of minerals in these eastern municipalities of Caldas has been carried out without having the legal mining title, stipulated in Law 685 of 2001, of the Mining Code, which has hit not only natural resources, but in the same way the well-being and safety of the families who live in the zone and legally benefit of these water sources.
It is estimated that in these illegal production units they would be extracting approximately 630 grams of gold per month, which is equivalent to an average income per sale of 151 million pesos per month, that is, a loss to illegal activities of more than 1800 million pesos.
This result highlights the activity of illegal exploitation of mining deposits carried out in the east of Caldas, which, in addition to being illegal, does not meet the technical, environmental, safety and mining hygiene conditions, and generates irreversible damage to the environment.
With these results, a significant reduction of the environmental impact was possible. It should be noted that the value to be invested for the recovery of environmental damage is approximately 250 million pesos and could take about 10 to 15 years.
Source: Press - Fifth Division of the National Army
