The oldest active gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire, the Ity mine, located between the departments of Zouan-Hounien and Bloléquin in the west of the country, suffered an industrial accident at the end of June, the health and environmental consequences of which have yet to be assessed. According to consistent official sources, the Cavally River was polluted, causing the death of fish and the poisoning of several people, with no deaths to be reported so far.
This mining site is 5% owned by the public company Société pour le développement minier de la Côte d’Ivoire, 10% by the Ivorian government and 85% by the Canadian group Endeavour Mining, the leading gold producer in West Africa which ” categorically rejects allegations of massive pollution of the river ».
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According to the director of the Ivorian Anti-Pollution Center (Ciapol), Professor Bernard Ossey Yapo, two successive incidents occurred within a few days of each other at the Ity mining site. The first occurred on June 23, at 5 p.m., when a valve used to purge the mine’s decantation and mud lines cracked. According to Professor Yapo, the settling muddy water, containing cyanide, flowed into the stormwater diversion channel before reaching, with the stormwater runoff, a river adjacent to the mine’s tailings pond, then the Cavally River.
A team of officers from the regional branch of Ciapol in Man and the director of the analysis laboratory at the University of Man were dispatched to the scene three days later to assess the environmental impact of the incident.
While the analyses of this first mission were still in progress, a second accident occurred on Saturday at the same Ity mining site, in circumstances that are still unclear. Bernard Ossey Yapo reports that ” The director of the Hygiene-Health-Environment (HSE) department of the mine has again contacted the regional branch of Ciapol, in Man, after a new environmental incident occurred on the mine site affecting the receiving environment. “, without giving further details. The Ciapol carried out a new evaluation mission there the following day, the conclusions of which are expected in the coming days.
“On maximum alert”
For their part, Ivorian media outlets are talking about ” A major incident occurred at the cyanide tank “, who would have trained « significant pollution of the Cavally River and water intended for consumption by the populations of Ouyatouo “, as well as'” high fish mortality and several cases of illness among residents, including symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and headaches ».
Preventive measures have been taken to raise awareness among the population while waiting for the results of the Ciapol analyses. The sub-prefect of Doké, Koffi Kouadio, gathered the customary chiefs of his constituency on Monday morning, July 1, to share the official recommendations with the population: do not eat fish from the river, do not drink water from the river.
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« After this unfortunate incident, we are on high alert, says Mr. Kouadio. Since Cavally is a disservice to us all, this is a matter to be taken very seriously. “People living near the mining site are also advised not to drink water from wells and backwaters, which may also have been contaminated.
If the population of Doké was spared, specifies Koffi Kouadio, around fifty people would have fallen ill in the constituency of Bloléquin. Given the environmental and health impacts, in this case fish mortality and food poisoning linked to the consumption of dead fish, immediate environmental decontamination measures will be taken to mitigate the negative effects of the incident. », promises Professor Yapo.
“No critical situation”
Contacted by The worldthe Canadian company Endeavour Mining acknowledged on Monday morning only the incident of June 23, which would have only resulted, according to it, in ” the discharge of a small quantity of sludge, estimated at less than 3,000 litres, mixed with the settling water ” in the Cavally River. Regarding the second incident, the company denounces ” false information [qui] circulating locally, indicating the presence of dead fish in the Cavally ». Endeavour Mining « categorically rejects the allegations of massive pollution of the Cavally River and endangerment of local populations. The findings made by the authorities have not revealed any critical pollution situation threatening the lives of the populations ».
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« Communication actions were carried out by our teams with the populationsadds Endeavour Mining country director, Laetitia Gadegbeku Ouattara. Since this type of information sometimes causes fear or psychosis, a clinic has been set up on the Ity site to accommodate residents who fear they have been poisoned. ” According to her, ” Most of the patients received had symptoms related to malaria; the others, symptoms of diarrhea. ” not allowing us to conclude with certainty that it was poisoning.
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Ironically, Endeavour Mining is holding, from 1is on July 5, its “ESG Week”, an event dedicated to “ to non-financial performances (environment, social, governance) » from the Canadian group, present in Ivory Coast, but also in Senegal and Burkina Faso.
