Environment

Mining sparks protest

Residents of La Mesa say that promised changes have not been made.

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Sand mining in La Mesa1121830

Residents of La Mesa, in the district of San Martín, closed the main road leading to the community Thursday for three hours, protesting a decision by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to reopen a controversial sand mine.

The ministry had earlier issued an order for operations to cease at the mine, which is operated by the company Gethsa Internacional. The ministry, however, later repealed that order, stating that the company had complied with its requirements.

Ruth Pérez, leader of the Committee for the Defense of San Martín, said that, despite what the ministry says, the company has not made the changes.

“We were not notified of the decision to reopen the mine, and we remain concerned,” Pérez said.

Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade Manuel José Paredes countered that Gethsa had indeed complied with the requirements. This was established during an inspection of the mine's operations.

“We closed it because the mine had failed, but now they have everything in order,” he said.

The mine's operations were suspended on Oct. 27 because it had been discharging sediment into the Pacora River, among other violations.

At the time, residents expressed concern that the operation was contaminating drinking water in the area, and many still have those fears.