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Both voices of support and protest, left the visit of the National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA) to Jericó (Antioquia) during its technical visit to the Quebradona copper mining project.
This visit, which is the second that the environmental authority makes to the municipality, will run until Saturday, September 26, as part of the process to decide whether or not to grant the environmental license to the mining project developed by the South African multinational AngloGold Ashanti.
The streets of this town in the Southwest of Antioquia were filled with banners and harangues, mainly from those who oppose the project, environmental groups and even the church itself.
The general director of ANLA, the Director General of ANLA, Rodrigo Suárez, spoke with the community of Los Patios, in this municipality, to hear first-hand the positions regarding the Copper Mining Project.
From the ‘Save the Southwest’ campaign, supported by the Citizen Oversight John Jairo Arcila, the region’s environmental tables, the Southwest Technical Table, Southwest Vision, Southwest Alliance, Southwest Live, Southwest 2050 Youth Network, farmers of the territory, agricultural and agro-industrial producers, tourism entrepreneurs, the Dejusticia study center, Greenpeace, the National Environmental Movement, the National Water Network of Colombia, among others, reported that through the petition on Change.org/SaveToSouthwest, they have reached 52,000 signatures.
. “Throughout these years we have formed different organizations and we have
strengthened to face the imminent threat posed by mega-mining in Southwest Antioquia. Today we have the support and backing of thousands of Colombians throughout the country, who are in favor of defending a beautiful and unique territory located in the Tropical Andes, and which is the most important concentration point of biodiversity on the planet ” , said Sebastián Restrepo, Leader of Southwest Vision.
There are also voices of support
On the other hand, from the Jericoanos con Visión citizen collective, they sent various letters to ANLA, signed by organizations from the environmental, tourist, coffee, cultural, business and civil society sectors of Jericó, in which they express their support for the mining development in the region.
“The different unions in Jericó give full support to the development of the Quebradona mining project, due to the opportunities that it will generate not only for Jericó but for the entire country, in terms of direct and indirect jobs, royalties, productive chains and investment resources. that should be reflected in the improvement of the quality of life of people “, says the statement.
And it is that according to what was said by the project managers, in the construction stage of the mine, it will generate for four years, up to 3,000 jobs and, once it comes into operation, during the 21 years of the mine, up to 1,500 jobs.
“Also, due to taxes and royalties, the municipality of Jericó will go from having an average free investment budget of 1,700 million pesos per year, to one of approximately 19,000 million pesos per year, Well invested, they should serve so that the municipality has better schools, better health services, better infrastructure, better roads, better sports venues that strengthen the human development of the inhabitants, “says the document.
MEDELLIN
