DENR, groups plant trees in Toledo City mining site
For years, mining has been seen as destructive to the environment, causing damage to biodiversity, water contamination and soil erosion.
Mining companies seem to have failed to come up with ways to remedy the harmful effects of their operations.
To check this, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( DENR) monitors companies for compliance of mining rules and awards those who have not only complied with DENR regulations but who also have come up with innovative ways protect the environment and surrounding communities.
In line with agency’s celebra- tion of Environment Month, and with their annual mining tour, a group of representatives from DENR 7 and some media personnel visited the mining site of one of the companies that received an award, the Carmen Copper Corp. in Toledo City.
The group toured the site owned by Atlas Mining ( where Carmen Copper operates), planted trees and learned more about the company’s operations.
Carmen Copper’s environment department head, John Salcedo, talked about how the company focuses on the rehabilitation of the environment around the mining areas.
The company has a tree-plant- ing program, which includes keeping a nursery and monitoring the growth of trees.
To reduce water contamination, the mining company has come up with a waste management system where mineral waste is sent to the Mabais-Sigpit waste dump while the tailings go to the Biga Pit.
The pit has a capacity of 470 million wet metric tonnes.
Carmen Copper Corp. is the biggest copper mine company in the Philippines. It could have been one of the biggest contributors to the destruction of the environment, too, if not for company’s efforts to protect the environment and its host communities.