Atkins asked Humala
Not accept petitorios miners in Alto Piura
File
Informal mining represents the greatest risk to the Piura region at this time.
The subject of informal and formal mining has once again become a matter of regional argument. The President, Javier Atkins, reiterated yesterday while it aims to eradicate the informal mining and avoid that any formal or informal mining project, proven way, endangering the environment, water and already existing crops should. He said that in this debate, the dialogue must not stop and avoid violent actions such as those that occurred last week in Huancabamba.
Alto Piura farmers protest today against the petitorios miners in Talandracas, Chapica and Fatima there will be a statement from the Regional Government?
The statement already gave him 10 days ago. Personally I have sent you a letter to the President of the Republic giving to know our concern about this issue and I have asked to request the Ministry of energy and mines to not give permission for these concessions. These mining petitions should not be accepted because they will directly affect the development of Alto Piura and already knows the President. The other that we would like to ask the population is do not forget that we must engage in dialogue and we must not reach extremes as in Huancabamba a few days ago.
Against informal mining, which proposal does the Regional Government?
Our proposal is that it should not exist. You can search their formalization and sorting, but our main objective is to eradicate all Piura informal mining because we now have it present in eight provinces. With the informal miners we have a dialogue table installed 10 days ago. In this table are informal miners, the Regional Government, the boards of irrigators.
If the proposal of the Regional Government is to eradicate the informal mining, then do to feel how to reconcile if informal miners are not interested in leaving activity?
Some of them want to really ordered and formalized. It will be formalized not mean for us that they will sign a paper and that's enough. Formalization means to begin to comply with the holder of the concession and that they negotiate with the concession holders to see if they can continue to operate in such places. Then their operation should be under conditions that do not represent risks for the rest of the region. In addition, we are interested in disappear all of these problems that now generate: prostitution, trafficking, child labour, etc.
If not actúan…
They are aware that if the Regional Government does not take this issue seriously, informal mining can become a tangible risk for the development of this region?
Informal mining already affects the economic process in the region and I can make it much more if we remove no and Yes, unfortunately, some of these pools reaches a watershed or river and contaminates us water tributaries or that contaminates the fruit that we export or eat here. The risk is latent because mining has been installed in areas where we have valleys agricultural very important. The subject does interest us, why we are talking and we will also be strong to eradicate mining where there is greater danger to the region.
Formal mining
And with formal mining, what is the position of the Regional Government?
Informal mining and formal to present obvious risks for the environment, land and water basins, the message is the same: will not proceed. The matter is that formal mining has its own mechanism, its own regulations and that Yes we are sure is that the regulations governing formal mining in the Peru is one of the most advanced. What is happening, from my point of view, is that the State provides no assurances of being a good supervisor and that's where lame item. If the State were an impartial overseer, qualifying companies, if you ensure the interests of the communities and the preservation of the environment; more confidence would have. By now there.
