Gravel mining ruining Cave’s Branch, say residents
In recent weeks we have documented with aerial photography the effect of quarrying operations on the Sibun River. Today we traveled on land to see close up the devastating effects of such mining on one of the Sibun’s major tributaries, the Cave’s Branch. In normal times the trip would have been made by boat. Today that was impossible as men and machines have turned the riverbed into a roadbed. Patrick Jones reports.
The once free flowing Cave’s Branch River that gave life to Frank’s Eddy Village in the Cayo District has undergone a transformation. Although this is the dry season, the spectacle of a riverbed without water is the work of man and not nature. According to residents, quarrying on this portion of the Cave’s Branch River started four months ago but was put on hold when the rains came. Two weeks ago, however, the heavy machinery was rolled back in, with dramatic results.
Luis Guerra, Chairman, Frank’s Eddy Village
“It does not look like a river now. It looks like a creek and that is the way I see it, right.”
And he’s not the only one left with that impression. These are just a few pictures from area residents documenting the environmental disaster slowly unfolding right before their eyes.
Patrick Jones
“Twenty four hours ago, I would have needed swimming trunks to have been able to stand here. But thanks to the ongoing operation, I now get to walk on the Cave’s Branch River.”
The quarry owners, all operating under license granted by the Geology and Petroleum Department, have taken it upon themselves to dam the river at certain points in order to extract the sand and gravel at the bottom. According to Jaime Avilez who works at a nearby resort, the short term gains to quarry owners pale in comparison to the long term devastation to the environment.
Jaime Avilez, Assistant Manager, Jaguar Paw
“To begin with, it will affect the villagers. At the moment the villagers can’t even drink the water nor wash in the river because of all the oil flow, or diesel flow. As you saw, the river was pretty mucky. And another thing I know, it will cause in the raining season, which is only a couple months from now, the farmers that have all their plantations near the river, that will be under water, especially because of all the banks being gone. The river being converted to go somewhere else and at times even being dammed.”
And some of the negative effects are already being felt in the area.
Jaime Avilez
“The river is already being reversed. We have a spring area in the cave tunnels that belong to the Cave’s Branch area and this river is already being flowing opposite direction into the spring when before, it used to flow into the river so, it could cause a serious problem.”
A problem that will sooner or later show up many miles away with equal impact.
Roberto Botes, Naturalist
“And when we think about the long term, there is a long, long list. To mention a few, first of all you have seen how mucky, how muddy the river is. This Cave’s Branch River joins the Sibun and the Sibun eventually goes to the Caribbean. So this will all contribute to silt deposition into the Barrier Reef, which will definitely affect the Barrier Reef. Think about floods in the future, think about the aquatic life that is all destroyed and that will definitely affect the food web. And also think about the people that use the river as a source for drinking water and washing.”
Luis Guerra
“And now the river comes more worse. You have animals in the river. They damage the animals: the fish the iguanas, all of that get damaged.”
But while they agree that the damage is already done, residents don’t think it’s too late to make a difference. But action must be taken sooner rather than later they say.
Roberto Botes
“The mining should be stopped now, and it wouldn’t get worse. But the damage is already done. But if we want to do something about it, I think it should be stopped right away.”
Jaime Avilez
“I would say stop these guys from quarrying, from digging. Stop them from disturbing the river and as soon as you stop them, educate them. Tell them about what they are really causing, the damage they are doing. I mean we don’t even know what will happen when this flood comes down during this rainy season. If it changes course, probably the river will never be the same.”
And if the impending disaster wasn’t such a serious matter it would almost be funny when just this weekend, a tour guide showed up with a group of visiting students from the United States, only to find that the river wasn’t where he had left it just a day earlier.
Roberto Botes
“This tree was right over the river and with our inner tubes we use to just go under the tree which was fun. And then on Saturday I came here and I found no river and that was really sad and frustrating because I said yesterday the river was here, today there is no river. There was only three excavators and lots of dump trucks around and that was pretty sad for me.”
Patrick Jones
“Entire ecosystems have already been dramatically disrupted by the wanton abandon with which quarrying is being done on the Cave’s Branch River. And the environmentally conscious residents of Frank’s Eddy Village say that with each passing second, while they wait for something to be done, the situation becomes even more dramatic. Patrick Jones for News Five.”
There are four different operators licensed to mine gravel from the Cave’s Branch, including one run by Minister of Housing Hubert Elrington. While the concessions are operated legally under mining legislation the damage being done to the river is in apparent violation of a number of environmental laws.
