Greed in Guatemala Violates Right to Water

This update is from UUSC member and expert volunteer Rob Robinson of Colorado, who is working with UUSC on the right to water and mining.

The new Marlin gold mine in Guatemala is suspected as a huge rip-off for the local Mayan indigenous people and the nation. There is badly skewed wealth distribution, and the mining company, Glamis Gold Ltd. (recently acquired by Goldcorp Inc.), is risking the environment and the community's access to water.

I made an estimate of potential Glamis profits from publicly available data on Glamis and World Bank websites. Glamis will pocket $1.5 billion from the project, leaving the locals and Guatemala with $203 million, or just 12 percent of wealth, coming out of the Marlin ore deposit. In any industrialized country, the wealth gained is shared out much more equitably with the local community. How can countries like Guatemala improve the standard of living for their people if they don't even get the same deal as industrial countries?

When the gold is mined and sold, it's gone. The local people will have been cheated out of a golden opportunity to rise above poverty by developing education, infrastructure, and more.

On the environmental side, Glamis is using cyanide chemicals. Cyanide is an exceptionally toxic chemical and, when accidentally spilled, causes massive environmental damage. Some of the world's most damaging industrial accidents have been cyanide spills. In most countries, mining companies are expected to put up a reclamation bond in the event of such disasters, but not Glamis for the Marlin mine.

The second environmental issue is the potential for acidic toxic metal discharges. The Marlin ore deposit has sulfide minerals. When exposed to water and air, these minerals can react to form sulfuric acid that leaches toxic metals into waterways killing aquatic life and poisoning the people who rely on the water. Modern mines in industrial nations are required to control or treat these discharges. Glamis won't release its data on the potential for acidic toxic metal discharge from Marlin, and there are no controls/constraints imposed on the project.

Nearby villages depend on these streams for their water supply. There is no developed water supply. Even though mining consumes large quantities of water, Glamis maintains there will be no impacts on water quantities. Really?

The local people have protested these issues. Glamis responded with denial and even violence -- one protester was killed by authorities. The World Bank's International Finance Corporation gave Glamis a loan to start up the Marlin mine, and has attempted mediation with the local communities. As a result, Glamis offered trivial grants to local villages for education and infrastructure.

The issues above have not been resolved, and the local people have asked for help from human rights organizations and the Catholic Church. These organizations hired experts to look into the issues. The experts state that the issues are real; however, Glamis continues to stonewall.