A top officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Davao Region urged the local government units (LGUs) in Compostela Valley to lead the regulation of mining activities in the area especially that most of its gold-rush sites are classified as high risk areas under the geo-hazard map.
Jim Sampulna, DENR regional director, said top priority must be to look for relocation site as residence for small-scale miners so that they no longer bring their families who are often exposed to danger of landslide, whenever they tag along in the mining areas.
He said it is important that the affected small-scale miners have to be relocated away from unsafe zones.
“The most powerful person in town is the mayor. Without his political will and leadership environmental problems persist. They must show leadership in the area while line government agencies like us DENR, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Health (DOH) will back him up whenever he needs our services for assistance,” Sampulna said.
He said the people have to be relocated immediately in order to save lives, not only in Diat Uno and Diat Dos in Pantukan, but also in other areas in the province classified as high risk.
Sampulna said in Pantukan, it is also important to relocate the ore processing zones in order to give reprieve to the Kingking River which has been contaminated with mercury and silted several years of mining activities.
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