Last Exit Before Cyanide: 'It is Not too Late to Stop Gold Mine in Ida Mountains'

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Ekrem Akgül, the chairperson of the Ida Solidarity Association and member of coordination of Water and Conscience Watch, informed bianet about the mine site where Alamos Gold will launch gold cyanidation in 2020 if it cannot be prevented and about other mine projects in the region.

Akgül said that four million more trees will be cut down in the field on in addition to the 200 thousand trees that have been cut now, while he stressed that if there are 0.7 tenor ore in the region in other countries of the world, they will never be mined.

According to the general average in the world, the ore is not mined if the tenor of it is lower than 10.

On the recent situation regarding the mine site operated by the Canadian Alamos Gold Mining Company, Akgül said,

"At the moment, the land is being prepared in the area, as you know by stripping the top of the land. The flora has been removed with the cutting of about 200 thousand trees."

"The pits of the rocks continue to be opened, then the operation will be established on it and the projected date for production with cyanide is 2020," he added.

The other 29 mine projects

The mine owned by the Şahinli company in Lapseki on the Biga Peninsula and the mine run by the Alamos Gold Company in Kirazlı are on their way to the production stage, but 29 more projects are waiting for the massacre of nature.

The processes of the remaining 29 projects do not run simultaneously. Some have received the EIA (environmental impact assessment) positive report during the EIA process, and feasibility studies and drilling are underway.

Saying that he believes the watch in the Ida (Kaz) Mountains will stop the project in Kirazlı and prevent future mine projects, Akgül remarked, "Believe us this is the last exit before the bridge."

"You know, it is said that 200 thousand trees were cut down. This is just beginning it. Ninety-eight percent of the project area is forest land.
"And this place is 34,500 decares, according to the modelings, four million more trees will be cut down.

"I can tell you that Not yet a drop of cyanide has touched the ground. And we can return from this point without a single drop of cyanide touches the soil. We will have lost trees, an ecosystem formed in 15 thousand years has been wounded, but I hope it will be returned from this point.

"No such mining exists in any developed country in the world."

"Deficiency" in mining laws

Ekrem Akgül summarizes the differences in mining in the world:

"There is a measure called tenor value in mining. That is the measure of ore in one ton of rock. That's around 0.75 here.

"It's actually a very, very low tenor value. In developed countries, mining is not allowed for ore lower than 10 grams. When it is 8 grams, there are long debates on whether it should be mined or not.

"This is the biggest deficit in our mining law."

*Photo: Mezopotamya News Agency.

"The public has become very knowledgeable about the situation and we have been working for it for years. The visuals, articles, articles, rallies we have shared had not yielded such an effective result.

"But when the people saw the mine site alive with their eyes, its influence was completely different.

"So we are hopeful. The repercussions have not only been left at home, but they have also been effective abroad, we have received public support and we think that support has been seen by decision-makers." (PT/VK)