'Blue River' turns brown, Illegal gold mining in Amazon raises concern
4 Min Read
The browning of the Tapajos is due to mud and sentiments churned up by increasing illegal gold mining activities.
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An aerial view shows the Tapajos river in Itaituba, Para state, Brazil, January 22, 2022. (Reuters)
One of Brazil's largest clearwater rivers, the Tapajos - one called the "Blue River" - has turned brown.
According to federal prosecutors and environmental activists on Monday, the browning of the Tapajos is most certainly due to mixed mud and sediment as a result of increasing illegal gold mining activities.
Due to its initially pristine condition and clear waters, the Tapajos was called the "Blue River." However, upon a 2019 gold rush that attracted miners to pursue the illegal activity in its vicinities, in addition to Bolsonaro's loosening mining restrictions in the Amazon, the river is polluted.
Using mechanical shovels to destroy trees and dig pits, illegal miners dredged the river, vacuuming the river bed, and mud and water are sucked up in the search of gold.
Apesar de outros fatores contribuem para a turbidez na foz do Tapajós, é inequívoco o impacto da atividade garimpeira ao longo de toda bacia, desde Jacareacanga até #Santarém como mostram estas imagens de satélite analisadas pelo @MapBiomas https://t.co/LqBJmGjwZQ@obsclima pic.twitter.com/gM9cjKhn4K
— Tasso Azevedo (@tassoazevedo) January 24, 2022
The water, described as chocolate-colored, can be seen for hundreds of kilometers through aerial view photographs, flowing through the Tapajos where it meets the Amazon River.
The sediment polluting the water has kept bathers afar from the white sandbanks located in Alter do Chao, lower Tapajos. The sandbanks are a popular resort in the lower Tapajos, which is a tributary that flows 2,100 kilometers to the Amazon.
Nota técnica do @mapbiomas confirma alteração da cor da água em Alter do Chão (PA) pela lama do garimpo no rio Tapajós. As imagens de satélite revelam os afluentes do rio saturados de lama num período de seca. (Segue) pic.twitter.com/aHJNMSyHG8
— André Trigueiro (@andretrig) January 24, 2022
Gustavo Alcantara, a prosecutor, estimated that 7 million tonnes of sediment are dumped into the Tapajos annually by illegal miners, urging federal and state environmental agencies to look into the ways in which illegal gold mining has been polluting the river.
According to MapBiomas, an NGO which tracks land use and deforestation in Brazil, satellite data shows that the increasing change in color of the Tapajos is correlated with increasing illegal gold mining activities in the region.
🚩O aumento da turbidez no médio e alto Tapajós pode ter influência de garimpo e outras alterações de uso da terra que causam desmatamento e expõem o solo. Confira a análise com base em imagens de satélite de alta resolução🛰️ https://t.co/DmLnuDeZPn pic.twitter.com/aTQqRBMePu
— mapbiomas (@mapbiomas) January 24, 2022
"It is reasonable to assume that illegal mining has been one of the main causes of the murky waters because it is all done on tributaries of the river and the sediment flows into the Tapajos," said Cesar Diniz, a MapBiomas geographer. It's a fact: The mining has contributed to the muddying of the Tapajos in recent years," he said.
It's ore or gore
Read more: The Amazon's ongoing colonization is still relevant
Brazil’s Amazon has been experiencing an unprecedented gold rush. Not only were 25% of 174 tons of gold in 2019 and 2020 illegally mined but it's also been noted that this rush only happened when Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro assumed office. His administration is notoriously known for trying to legalize mining on indigenous land, while the President looks to support illegal prospectors.
In 2020, the Brazilian government disclosed the revenue of Gana Gold – one of Brazil’s biggest gold producers – $200 million. In the first 8 months of 2021, the income exceeded the predictions set by regulators by 32 times.
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It is estimated that illegal mining destroyed an area equivalent to 500 football fields in the Yanomami territory in 2020. (Greenpeace)
Gana Gold is located in a federally protected area in Itaituba in Para state, Brazil. The illegally mined gold cost the government $2 billion in revenue, according to researchers at Minas Gerais Federal University (UFMG) and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF).
In response, the MPF attempted to file lawsuits that suspend businesses and financial institutions suspected of buying illegal gold. However, they were unable to reach Gana Gold since the lawsuit does not cover industrial miners, which is the title the company takes cover under.
Canada, the UK, and Switzerland are the main shoppers of Gana Gold.
In the backdrop, there is a lot of mercury that surfaces in the atmosphere because of the mines. Wherever there are gold mines, there is mercury in the biosphere, known to cause neurological disorders and harm fetuses.
As the gold rush surged, locals were met with the aggressive swarms of gold miners looking for a killing – figuratively and literally. Since May, prospectors have been attacking Yanomami and Munduruku communities in the Brazilian Amazon, in Roraima and Para respectively.
This ignited a strong reaction from Brazilian legislators this year, especially those allied with Bolsonaro, prompting them to make laws that legalize gold mines on indigenous land.
