Money concerns over check on mine

 

Naresuan University researcher Tanapon Phenrat said the Primary Industries and Mines Department complained about the expense in detecting heavy metal contamination and its alleged origin in the mine. There could also be problems persuading stakeholders to accept the results of an inspection, which might delay the process and undermine the mine restoration plan.

Four ministries – Industry, Public Health, Natural Resources and Environment, and Science and Technology – have been appointed to inspect and resolve environmental and health problems near the Chatree gold mine on the border of Phichit and Phetchabun.

Tanapon, head of the investigating committee, said a progress report into toxic substance contamination at Chatree had been presented to Primary Industries and Mines last week, but a financial issue had – inevitably – been raised.

“The department said they did not have enough money to fund our study. However, I still insist on using these methods because the findings must be accurate and these techniques are the most efficient way to find the source of contamination. It will not cost more than Bt5 million.”

He said the department complained that inspection methods his team wants to use were too costly and suggested that a simulation technique would be cheaper. However, Tanapon said it would not provide an accurate result.

“Another problem is we have to get acceptance by both sides to ensure they will acknowledge our finding, even if it might conflict with their beliefs,” he said. “This is a tough mission for us, as it could delay our study and affect the whole restoration process for the mine.”

 

Fears over bid for compensation

Tanapon said he had talked with many legal experts to find out if the probe finished after the mine had closed down, if that would affect the state’s ability to seek compensation from the company for pollution – if the process found the mine was responsible. The government would have to use taxpayers’ money to clean up the contamination if the cost was more than the risk insurance fund.

Anu Kanlaprawit, head of Primary Industries and Mines’ Environmental Management Bureau, said the department did not have the funds for the research as all money had to be carefully spent.

“We do not protest at the method the committee presented, but we have to ensure that it is appropriate and worth public money being spent on it,” Anu said.

“I have already seen the research proposal and the subcommittee set up by the National Institute of Metrology will consider the method – whether it would be efficient and worth the money. Meanwhile, the department has already allocated the budget for the inspection to try to reveal the truth [about the source of the problem].”

He said the department was trying to rush the process so the inspection finishes “on time” and assures that the mine will take responsibility – if it is found to be the source of heavy metal pollution in those areas.

Tanapon explained that the team would use a geophysics technique, with help from a Japanese research team, to trace arsenic either leaking from the gold mine’s Tailing Storage Facility 1 (TSF1) or the source of pyrite and arsenopyrite underground that might have caused “natural” arsenic contamination.

The team would inspect contamination sites more carefully with direct imaging techniques to spot any signs of cyanide, hydrogen sulphide, and ammonia. If they found these signs, it could “guarantee” that the leakage was from TSF1.

His report said data collected from monitoring wells around the mine showed there was a very high level of arsenic contamination in wells downstream from TSF1, which signalled may leakage.

“It is necessary to accurately prove if the contamination has originated from the gold mine operation or not, as this fact would help the authorities accurately set a policy to tackle the contamination and ask for compensation from those who caused the environmental damage.”