Tampakan mine water mg't plan extensive

MANILA, Philippines - The water management plan for the proposed Tampakan copper-gold mine is a result of monitoring work over 15 years, according to the recently released environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed project.

Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), government contractor for the proposed mining project, used monitoring data gathered by in-house specialists and third-party experts, as well as records from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) as basis for the water management plan.

The report shows that the baseline studies were conducted by AECOM Philippines Inc. and Hansen Bailey, third party group of specialists asked to prepare the EIS for the $5.9-billion proposed copper-gold mine in South Cotabato.

Earlier, AECOM Philippines Inc. associate director Jess Bayrante was quoted as saying that the EIS work for the Tampakan mine “has been very extensive.”

During the public disclosure of the EIS, there have been some concerns that there would be water use competition between the proposed Tampakan mine and the downstream community users, particularly farmers.

Engineer Rene Cruz, a hydrology expert with AECOM Philippines Inc., explained the fact that water competition “cannot and will not occur as it is prohibited under Philippine laws, Presidential Decree 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines.”

According to Cruz, the law mandates that priority for water use is given to domestic use first, second to municipal water supply, third to irrigation, fourth to power generation, fifth to fisheries, livestock raising, and industrial use, and lastly to mining.

The EIS report also indicates that the proposed Tampakan mine, once it goes into operation, will source 70 percent of its water needs through recycling methods and water conservation measures, and the water management plan ensures non-disturbance of declared protected watershed areas within the proposed project area.