Mining firm brings Surigao Norte river back to life

SURIGAO CITY, Philippines – Thanks to the efforts of a mining company, the Kinalablaban River 1 in Claver, Surigao del Norte has sprung back to life.

Engineer Malou Celzo, head of the Operational Support Group of Platinum Group Metals Corp. (PGMC), told The STAR that the mining firm has spent millions of pesos since 2007 in saving the Kinalablaban River 1 in Barangay Cagdianao, Claver town by dredging it of heavy silt from the uplands.

Early settlers living upstream used to navigate the river to go to coastal communities even during the Spanish era.

“Now, after rehabilitating Kinalablaban River 1, countless species of agsam, a plant that grows along river banks and is used for decorative items and indigenous material for jewelry by the lumads (uplanders), are already sprouting and flourishing, indicating the ecological state of the river,” Celzo said.

“Long before we started operations in 2007 in Claver, Kinalablaban River 1 was already known as heavily silted, thus requiring an extensive and expensive river dredging, and the PGMC took the responsibility of cleaning it up,” Celzo said.

“We dredged it from upstream to the estuary and removed unnecessary silt caused by heavy soil erosion,” Celzo added.

Dredging, according to Celzo, did not only clean up the river but also improved the quality of water, thus encouraging aquatic flora and fauna species to thrive.

The dredging operation removed 269,372.50 cubic meters of silt from the river, and cost the mining company about P44 million, Celzo said.

“Thus, we are proud to say that the PGMC did not only save the river but also brought it back to life,” Celzo said.