Investigations called for into skin complaints and water contamination in San Marcos

Health authorities are to investigate skin complaints in San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipakapa, an article in the Prensa Libre earlier this month announced.

According to the health minister, Ludwig Ovalle, skin complaints are the third most common reason for seeking medical consultation in both San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipakapa, whilst in the rest of the country they represent the tenth most common reason.

Both of these towns have been impacted by the mining activity of Marlin Mine, a open-cast goldmine owned by the Canadian company, Goldcorp.

The environment vice-minister Enma Díaz has emphasised the need to evaluate the quality of the water.

Staff of Montana Exploradora, subsidiary of Goldcorp, have claimed that the Environment and Energy authorities had carried out studies and not detected contamination in the water. (1)

At around the same time, the Prensa Libre also informed that community leaders and inhabitants of Cuilco had reported the river which traverses the municipality is contaminated due to an industrial spill from the Marlin Mine, which they claim has killed fish in the river and caused skin complaints. The Pastoral Peace and Ecology Commission (Comisión Pastoral Paz y Ecología) established that 83 cubic metres of heavy minerals had entered the tributary.

Milton Velasquéz of the Community Development Council (Consejo Comunitario de Desarrollo) has requested intervention from the local authorities to avoid further complications.(2)
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(1) See www.prensalibre.com/pl/2010/febrero/16/375767.html
(2) See www.prensalibre.com/pl/2010/febrero/17/375844.html

* The photo here is not from San Marcos but from a different Guatemalan river