The water minister has yet to release reports from the government’s own laboratory on dead fish and water quality.An independent expert examined the reports and highlighted the lack of data and insufficient Analysis, such as making a decision on an injunction is difficult to make recommendations.
QMM insists the reports should be published despite their scientific flaws. Activists believe the reports will be used to exonerate QMM and make a mockery of Rio Tinto’s international standards for water and tailings management.
tear down
It is unclear whether further official tests have been carried out, and the cause of the fish kills is subject to continued rumours and speculation. Meanwhile, a deal with villagers to restart fishing this week puts the risk of any negative consequences in the hands of local fishermen without strong scientific data to back up the decision.
Rural villagers are often saddled with unseen mining costs. According to a new study from Publish What You Pay Madagascar (PWYP MG 2022), mine-affected communities lost almost half the value of their previous livelihoods and suffered years of declining fish stocks, natural resource degradation and health problems as a result of the QMM’s impact.
Their complaints did not receive an unsatisfactory response from QMM, for which the villagers were held accountable A decade of failure Solve the social crisis caused by the mine.
Some 3,500 villagers asked the protest leaders to represent their needs and claims. When asked by the police who told them to set up the barricades, the villagers replied: “My stomach!”
Despite the suffering of the villagers, QMM has reportedly urged their subcontractors and workers to take to the streets for counter-demonstrations. Locals were seen waving expensive banners reading “Let’s work” – even as protesters removed their barricades.
Complexity
QMM denies any involvement in the incidents.a spokesman told ecologist: “The meeting mentioned was not organized by QMM. It was a peaceful gathering of community members… It is their right for some employees and suppliers to choose to attend.”
Meanwhile, activists claim that the QMM has portrayed itself as a victim of extortion and rural protesters as a small violent group with no legitimate claim.
Slandering the rural poor is not new either.When asking questions at Rio Tinto Australian Annual General Meeting To suggest that QMM was responsible for Anosy’s crisis, the company responded by blaming the rural population for the region’s problems.
The Australian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), which sends researchers to the annual general meeting, immediately released a Press release “QMM is in danger of losing its social license to operate. The Madagascar situation appears to represent yet another failure of Rio Tinto’s declining social performance function,” said Mr.
The emergence of solutions is slow and elusive, potentially subject to unseen complexities of a political and economic nature. QMM is negotiating a new lease agreement with the Madagascar government, with elections in Madagascar coming up in 2023.
shareholder
Miscommunication, depleted trust in mining companies and QMM’s quasi-state power in the region are also part of the social and political dynamics that affect relationships and perceptions.
For example, Madagascar media reported that the QMM had threatened to leave MadagascarResidents of Ft Dauphin and Ft Dauphin reported that they had twice prepared for power outages because QMM controlled the local energy supply.
However, the agreement hammered out over the weekend draw a line In the current tension, prevent the use of force on the one hand, and roadblocks on the other. It remains to be seen whether a final agreement between the QMM and the villagers can be established, and whether the demands for remediation and compensation can be adequately met.
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In Madagascar, the QMM initiative stood out as an example of how not to do community relations.
right of reply
A spokesman for Rio Tinto QMM told ecologist“Community unrest has intensified for several weeks, jeopardizing the safety and security of our people and members of our host communities.
“Until the safety and security situation improves, we have decided to scale back operations and maintain only essential services, including supplying electricity to local communities. Our priority has always been the safety and well-being of our people and host communities.
“Our focus has always been on finding durable solutions so that QMM can resume normal operations in a sustainable manner.
“We thank local authorities, the Anosy Regional Governor, the community and our people for the support they have provided us in recent weeks, and we will continue to work with them and the local community to implement the agreements reached.”
The statement added: “QMM refutes a direct causal link between the discovery of these dead fish and their activity. Contrary to the claims made in the article, we have never threatened to shut down operations or stop generating electricity to our local communities.”
this author
Yvonne Orengo is an independent communications consultant and director Andrews Trust (ALT UK) A British charity established after the death of the same name in 1994. ALT UK is working with Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Madagascar and international campaigners to research and publicize the impact of the QMM mine on the rural communities of Anosy in southern Madagascar. Yvonne lives and works in southern Madagascar to develop social and environmental plans and has followed the development of the Rio Tinto/QMM mine for over 26 years.
