Mining company standing trial for intentionally making villagers drink arsenic water
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Facing charges for having allegedly made villagers of Pınargözü in Kangal drink arsenic water on purpose, Demir Export mining company affiliated with Koç Holding had its first hearing at the Sivas 1st Heavy Penal Court on September 15. The hearing has been adjourned till January on the grounds that the file was not completed by the court.
As reported by Ecology Union, Demir Export has been charged with intentionally poisoning people by mixing arsenic into their drinking water.
Environmental case turned into criminal suit
The case was originally heard by the Kangal Penal Court of First Instance in Sivas. The trial started after the villagers of Pınargözü filed a lawsuit against the company due to the negative impacts of mining activities on their drinking water bodies. However, in 2017, the court ruled that the case should be turned into a criminal suit.
Two and a half years after this ruling, the new trial started at the Sivas 1st Heavy Penal Court on Tuesday and the company has been facing charges for having allegedly made the villagers drink high-arsenic water on purpose.
'No water to drink left in the village'
Speaking about the issue, Hüsnü Engin, the head of Pınargözü village, has indicated that "no water to drink has remained in their village":
"The spring of the water arriving in our three villages was here. Water was discharged by a water pump. Water was given to three villages.
"Due to mining works, water left the mine pond and the water here has dried up completely. Now, there is a little, but we still have no water. They say that they have been giving us water for years by treating it. But we do not know to what extent the water is treated.
"The village is in a really bad condition now. The company is giving water to the Davutoğlu hamlet again. If water is enough, why are they giving water again? People were a bit cautious after the report. But how much longer? It has no alternative; when people cannot find water, they even long for the one with arsenic. How can a place sealed off for three times be still open?"
'Arsenic water used for a year'
Halil Karakuş, one of the villagers, has also noted that the incidence of diseases has increased in the village in this process:
"Now, the most aggrieved three villages are in the same condition. It has been three days since I came back from İstanbul, but we still have no drinking water. The water that they say they treat is not here, either.
"Pınargözü village, Taşgeçit hamlet and our Davutoğlu hamlet are having problems with the water. Three villages are not properly given water. Because there is no sufficient amount of water.
"We consumed the arsenic water. The same water was used by all villagers. People used the arsenic water for almost a year. I am an ill person now. Like me, there are 3-4 other people in my village suffering from the same illness. I think that it has been most probably caused by the water."
'Incidence of cancer has increased'
Villager Güler Yeşildoğan has also indicated that the incidence of cancer has increased in their village:
"We used to have a huge river flowing back then. We used to cook and make tea with that water. We used to knead dough and make bread. Our children used to drink that water. Animals would drink it, there was no harm.
"Now, our water is poisonous. We do not have water since the mine was opened. We cannot take a bath when we have water again. Our body itches when we do. Our skin breaks out. We are poisoned by this water."
What happened?
After the Demir Export mining company affiliated with Koç Holding, one of the largest industrial conglomerates of Turkey, started its activities in the Pınargözü village in Kangal district of Sivas province, the drinking water bodies of Pınargözü village, Taşgeçit hamlet and Davutoğlu hamlet dried up. Seeing this, the company started giving water to these villages and hamlets from the sources it created. After they could not access the analysis of the water they were drinking, the villagers themselves had the water tested in an accredited laboratory in 2012.
According to the test results, the arsenic level of the water was seven times higher than the upper limit. The villagers were warned to not drink the water after this. The villagers and some NGOs filed a lawsuit against the company at the Kangal Penal Court of First Instance.
While this trial was ongoing, the company set up a filter system to improve the quality of the water provided to the villages. However, as this water was not enough for the villages, non-filtered arsenic water was mixed with the water again. Villagers had another test conducted in 2014 and proved this. The company confessed that it had mixed high-arsenic water.
Based on expert report, the Kangal Penal Court of First Instance concluded that it was intentionally done and referred the file to the Sivas Heavy Penal Court on charge of "jeopardizing people's lives and health by adding poison to food and beverages to be drunk, eaten, consumed or used by people" as per the Article 185 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). (SO/SD)
