Environmental advocacy group Alyansa Tigil Mina has called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to investigate mining operations in Brooke’s Point after continuous flooding hit Barangay Mambalot in the first week of January, damaging crops and inundating homes.
The group said floodwaters persisted for three days in the barangay, with residents reporting reddish and murky water entering farmlands and residential areas.
Victoriano Colili, a member of Alyansa Tigil Mina’s Council of Leaders and an Indigenous leader in Brooke’s Point, said the unusual color and thickness of the floodwater raised concerns about possible pollution linked to large-scale mining in the area.
“We suspect that the polluted water, which may also be poisonous and dangerous, is a result of large-scale mining in our area,” Colili said.
“Compared to other barangays where there is no mining, the color of the water in Brgy. Mambalot is darker and thicker,” he added.
Colili said the recent flooding echoed similar incidents in early January 2023, when heavy and continuous rains also flooded communities, but were accompanied by muddy water believed to be linked to mining activities.
While rainfall triggered the flooding, Colili said mining worsened its impact on communities and farms.
“What we are experiencing now is a repeat of the floods that hounded our communities in 2023,” he said.
The group warned that climate change is expected to bring stronger and more frequent rains, which could further aggravate flooding in mining affected areas.
“Climate change will bring more frequent and stronger rains, and flooding will be worsened by large-scale mining,” Colili said, calling on the government to prioritize forest and environmental protection.
Residents of Brooke’s Point continue to demand a permanent halt to mining operations, saying communities will continue to suffer unless mining activities are stopped, the group said.
