Water contamination found in Surigao, Palawan mining communities
By Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com
September 9, 2012

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – A Japanese non-government organization said the results of its study in two mines and a processing plant operated by Nickel Asia Corp. showed that water sources in the surrounding areas had been contaminated by a chemical that could cause cancer, liver damage and skin disease.

In an email message dated September 8, Hozue Hatae, Friends of the Earth Japan campaigner, said the results of the group’s research conducted between April and May showed that the drinking water sources of the mining towns of Claver in Surigao del Norte and Bataraza in Palawan were contaminated by hexavalent chromium.

“We had been continuously analyzing the water quality in the communities surrounding the Coral Bay Nickel Processing Plant Project and the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Project in the town of Bataraza, Palawan, since 2009. This year we included the town of Taganito in Surigao del Norte,” said Hatae.

According to the results of the group’s study, the levels of hexavalent chromium found in the Hayanggabon River and the Taganito River exceeded 0.05 milligrams per liter, which is the drinking water quality standard set by the World Health Organization.

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