Oh Canada

Article from the June 2007 ViaNica Newsletter

River San Juan faces ecological risk

Nicaraguan and Costa Rican ecologists and various authorities of districts of the San Juan River expressed their worries about the reactivation of open air mine explosions, which could harm the ecosystem of the huge natural areas of San Juan and which could contaminate the water of the river.

The warning was issued at the beginning of this year, when the Canadian company Vannesa Venture announced the reactivation of exploration and exploitation of a mine in the sector of Las Crucitas, in Costa Rican territory, three kilometers south from the Nicaraguan San Juan River.

The work on the mines in this sector was stopped in 2002, due to a mine respite decreed by the Costa Rican authorities, but according to ecologists of this country, the license holder of the mine projects expressed that this decree will be canceled.

Actually, ecologist organizations of both countries and mayors of districts on the river side, started to make their worries public through the media and they are organizing themselves to convince the Costa Rican authorities of a stop of permits for the mine exploitation in this sector.

The enormous range of soil and the use of substances during the mining activity could cause an ecological disaster at San Juan, through the many small rivers that are emptying in this river and could bring contamination and sediments to the San Juan River.

http://www.infinito.co.cr/donde_estamos.htm http://www.vannessaventures.com