English Essays
When we talk about illegal mining, we can talk about the absence of land right or the permission to explore in Colombia. We can say that it is very common and a frequent problem, because it includes armed groups that explote mines and extract materials without the government's permission. Illegal mining is not only a government problem; it is also a problem for us, especially for the people who work there risking their lives.
Illegal mining is bad for the people who work on the mining sites, and it has a huge difference compared to legal mining: those who work in illegal mining sites do not count on the safety measurements to even get inside the mine, or to help people in case of an emergency. In illegal mining sites, they use contaminating materials, both for the environment and for human beings, such as mercury.
When armed groups exploit mines and extract expensive materials, it causes a negative impact on our country, because 9 % of the economy in Colombia comes from mining. That means that the materials they get in legal mining from the government and some companies like: Cerrejón, Continental Gold in Colombia, Mineros S.A and some other important ones, are a big part of our economy.
The illegal mining does not bring any benefits for our country. However, with the materials they extract, sometimes they build schools, houses, clinics, and housing for poor people.
In conclusion, we can say that this issue, besides being a serious problem for the government, affects the people who live in Colombia, and the risks people take are not worthy, because in the end they do not even get enough money to provide for their families, which is the reason why most people do it, in the first place.
Sources:
(2016). National geographic chanel. [On line]. Recovered from: http://www.mining.com/about-80-of-colombias-gold-output-comes-from-illegal-miners-govt/
(2015). Mining.com. Recovered from: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/explorer/videos/illegal-colombian-gold-mines/
(2015)Ilegal Mining.[On line].Recovered from: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/southamerica/colombia/illegal-mining.xml
(2013)Americas quarterly.[On line]. Recovered from:http://www.americasquarterly.org/content/illegal-mining
(2015)Barrick.[On line].Recovered from:http://www.barrick.com/files/porgera/Illegal-Mining-at-PJV.pdf
(2016)Mail and guardian.[On line].Recovered from:http://mg.co.za/tag/illegal-mining
(2014)ELLA.[On line].Recovered from:http://ella.practicalaction.org/es/knowledge-new-
http://latinlawyer.com/reference/topics/46/jurisdictions/8/colombia/
http://www.mining.com/galway-gold-mulls-legal-escape-to-colombias-mining-ban-in-paramos/
Illegal mining in Colombia
By Carlos Calero