ByTurkish Minute
February 14, 2024
Turkey urgently needs action following a landslide on Tuesday in an open-cast gold mine in the eastern province of Erzincan,
The incident left nine workers trapped under 10 million cubic meters of mud and raised fears of a cyanide crisis due to the use of the chemical in gold extraction.
As hundreds of rescue workers navigate the cyanide-contaminated field, concern is growing about the environmental impact of the accident.
The use of cyanide and sulphuric acid in gold mining poses a significant risk to the environment, particularly to water systems.
The incident highlights the inherent risks associated with cyanide in mining, including potential accidents during transportation, leaks from acidic waste dams and breaches in containment membranes that can lead to environmental disasters.
As the membrane designed to prevent cyanide contamination is not present in the affected area, the toxic substance poses an immediate threat to soil and groundwater, raising urgent concerns about long-term ecological damage.
The scale of the waste implies a lengthy and difficult clean-up process. Experts warn that the spread of cyanide into the soil and water systems could accelerate with rain and exacerbate the environmental crisis.
The meteorological forecasts predicting rain add to the fear of rapid spread of cyanide in the environment and emphasize the urgent need for containment and remediation measures to mitigate the effects of the disaster.
The proximity of the mining area to the Euphrates River raises the possibility of a large-scale disaster that could render the river’s water unusable and severely impact the entire ecosystem and the communities that depend on it.
The disaster is reminiscent of the catastrophic incident in Baia Mare in Romania in 2000, where a dam burst at a gold mine, causing widespread ecological destruction and health hazards by contaminating the Tizsa River and beyond with cyanide. This spill has been called the worst environmental disaster in Europe since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The aftermath of the Baia Mare disaster, which resulted in massive wildlife deaths and severe economic impacts on local communities, is a grim reminder of the potential consequences of the current situation in Erzincan.
Far-right Victory Party (ZP) leader Ümit Özdağ traveled to the scene of the disaster and donned special protective clothing and masks to highlight the serious risks. Özdağ said he was denied access to the area and accused of provocation.
“After the Chernobyl disaster, we saw ministers mocking the public when it was said that the tea in the Black Sea region had been contaminated. Then thousands of people in our Black Sea region became cancer patients,” Özdağ said.
Given the vital role that the Euphrates River plays for Syria and Iraq, the effects of the spill could reach far beyond Turkey’s borders, threatening biodiversity, human health and regional stability.
The Ministry of Environment has responded by sealing a stream that flows from the pit into the Euphrates, although local environmental groups argue that the stream had already mixed with the river. In 2022, a cyanide leak resulted in the temporary closure of the mine.
Only after the operator paid a fine was the mine reopened, sparking outrage from opposition parties and local communities.
Anagold, the company that operates the mine, is under scrutiny.
The situation is further complicated by the presence of cyanide in the ground, making the rescue operation for the trapped miners increasingly difficult. The toxic chemical compound, which is used to extract gold from ore, has made the search a dangerous endeavor.
The disaster has led to widespread calls for the immediate closure of the mine, with the Union of Engineering and Architectural Associations and various environmental groups pointing out the ignored warnings of a potential disaster. The arrest of four people, including the mine’s manager, marks the beginning of the investigation into the cause of the accident.
The incident has sparked a wider debate about the safety and environmental impact of mining in Turkey, a country with a history of deadly mining accidents.
Turkish gov’t under scrutiny for environmental mismanagement after cyanide-laced landslide
ByTurkish Minute
February 14, 2024
A landslide at the Çöpler Gold Mine in the İliç district of Erzincan has buried workers and shed light on the scandals in the mine’s history, whose production capacity was increased twice despite warnings by experts.
The mine had previously been declared safe from landslide in its environmental impact assessments. This happened during the tenure of Murat Kurum as minister of environment, urbanization and climate change.
Kurum, who has also come under criticism for his share of responsibility in the high death toll of major earthquakes that struck southern Turkey in 2023 and killed more than 50,000, is currently running for İstanbul mayor as the candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
In June 2022 a cyanide-bearing pipe in the mine burst and flowed into the İliç River. Despite this, the mine resumed operations three months later without its license being revoked. According to a report by the T24 news website, the government also forgave $7.2 million in taxes owed by Anagold, the company that operates the mine.
Erzincan Governor Hamza Aydoğdu confirmed that workers were trapped in the landslide, while İliç district Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Mesut Güz claimed that 10 to 15 workers may have died, according to families. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that four prosecutors had been assigned to an investigation into the incident, while Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said nine workers remained under the mud.
The gold mine, the second largest in Turkey and located on the active Bingöl-Yedisu fault line, has been accused of emitting cyanide and sulfuric acid for years, destroying the environment.
After the project’s positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) in 2008, its production capacity was increased twice after new EIA reports in 2014 and 2021.
The EIA reports stated that there was no landslide risk in the area, a claim that was disproved by the recent disaster.
Despite legal challenges to the EIA reports, the courts have ruled in favor of the mine’s continued operation.
The Turkish Bar Association (TBB) expressed concern over the disaster in a statement on Wednesday, criticizing the approval of the EIA by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization for the mine expansion and a flotation plant project, pointing to the location of the mine near the Euphrates River, one of Turkey’s largest.
The TBB highlighted their earlier warnings and legal action, including a lawsuit to overturn the positive EIA decision and a criminal complaint following the rupture of the cyanide pipeline in June 2022.
In June 2023 the 6th Chamber of the Council of State called for a new expert investigation into an appeal by the Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects Chambers (TMMOB) since it had described the previous investigation by the district court as “inadequate.”
In a protracted legal battle that went all the way to the Constitutional Court, Eşref Demir filed a lawsuit against the environmental and safety practices of Anagold’s Çöpler gold mine.
Demir, a local resident near the mine site, filed a lawsuit in August 2018 against the ministry’s approval of the capacity expansion of the mine complex and requested that its operations be halted.
Demir’s lawsuit argued that the environmental impacts of the project were not thoroughly assessed, especially with regard to pastureland, drilling, blasting and activities that were carried out without the required permits and negatively affect agriculture and livestock, contaminate surface water and pose risks to human health and the ecosystem through the use of chemicals.
The court dismissed Demir’s claim on the basis of an expert report.
This decision was later upheld by the Council of State, although there were dissenting opinions emphasizing that the panel of experts lacked agricultural expertise and that further research was needed on the project’s impact on agriculture and livestock.
After the judiciary rejected his concerns, Demir appealed to the Constitutional Court, claiming that his rights to a fair trial, to life and to respect for private and family life had been violated due to the environmental impact of the project. The Constitutional Court found that there was a lack of agricultural expertise in the assessment of the project’s impact and criticized the superficial assessment of the project’s impact on livestock and agriculture. It concluded that the authorities had not carefully weighed the public and individual interests and had therefore failed to meet their obligations.
Despite critics highlighting the government’s responsibility in the disaster, so far only four people have been detained, low-ranking executives of the mining operation.
Work accidents are common in Turkey, where economic development can ride roughshod over safety concerns, particularly in the construction and mining industries. The country has recorded 1,898 mining fatalities since the AKP came to power in November 2002, according to data from the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).
Many blame Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP for prioritizing economic interests and favoring pro-government mining companies, often at the expense of important natural habitats.
Pro-gov’t co-owner of mine denies involvement in operations after cyanide-laced landslide
ByTurkish Minute
February 15, 2024
The chief advisor to the owner of a pro-government holding that co-owns the Çöpler gold mine in Turkey’s eastern Erzincan province has denied his company’s operational responsibility for a devastating landslide that buried nine workers.
The tragedy occurred on Tuesday when a massive landslide, triggered at 2:28 p.m. local time, sent some 10 million cubic meters of earth sliding down a 200-meter-high slope. The landslide, which consisted of soil contaminated with cyanide and sulphuric acid, took at least nine workers.
On Wednesday authorities said the location of the trapped workers has been identified and that rescue efforts have been intensified under difficult conditions. In addition the incident has triggered an investigation that has led to eight detentions in connection with the mine’s management.
The incident has put a spotlight on the environmental and safety practices of the mining operation. The mine in Erzincan province is operated by Anagold Madencilik and owned by Turkey-based Calik Holding and Denver, Colorado-based SSR Mining.
Hakkı Akil, the chief adviser to pro-government Çalık Holding’s owner Ahmet Çalık, defended the use of cyanide as the only method of gold extraction. When asked by Halk TV’s Seyhan Avşar, Akil said Çalık Holding is a mere investor and is not involved in the operations.
The environmental impact of the disaster is significant since up to 10,000 people could be exposed to cyanide.
The Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects’ Chambers (TMMOB) has filed a criminal complaint against Anagold Mining Industry and Trade Inc. officials, including the former and current minister of environment, urban planning and climate change, the governor of Erzincan and local administrative authorities, accusing them of ignoring the necessary precautions and of expanding the mine’s operations despite the known risks, including potential cyanide leakage.
The TMMOB emphasized that the ministry, the local administration and the courts ignored their previous warnings about the danger of landslides in the area, leading to the current disaster.
They demand that all responsible parties be prosecuted and punished for their role in the incident, “which has caused irrevocable damage to human health and the environment.”
Although the authorities claim that no contamination was detected in the samples taken from the site of the landslide, experts warn that the spread-out area, where there is no protection whatsoever, makes it impossible for cyanide and heavy metals not to contaminate the soil.
Anagold insists that the waste storage pond was not affected by the incident and denies any environmental contamination, a claim supported by the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, which has closed canal gates to prevent contaminated material from entering the Euphrates River.
However, the lack of a protective membrane in the area of the landslide indicates unavoidable contamination of the soil and water.
Former Anagold employees and experts who spoke to Deutsche Welle’s Turkish edition argue that the disaster was foreseeable due to inadequate control and oversight and point to the uncontrolled application of the cyanide solution as a likely cause of the landslide.
Concerns also extend to the health risks posed by heavy metals such as zinc, nickel, copper, iron and arsenic, which can remain in the environment for years, potentially contaminating water sources and affecting agricultural products.
Pro-government media spin mine collapse
Following the devastating landslide, pro-government newspapers have put the government’s narrative front and center, largely overlooking the environmental concerns and potential dangers associated with the incident.
The front page of Sabah emphasized the ongoing search and rescue efforts, citing Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar’s statements about previous inspections and assurances from mine officials that no cyanide had leaked into the Euphrates River. This reporting is consistent with the government’s efforts to reassure the public, although previous spills and regulatory fines point to longstanding environmental risks.
Contrary to official assurances, previous incidents, including a significant fine imposed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change over cyanide and sulfuric acid leak in the Euphrates River, raise questions about the mine’s safety and environmental management.
The pro-government Türkiye newspaper reported on the “cleanliness” of the environment and the absence of cyanide leaks, a stance contradicted by local environmental activists and experts who warn of the dire consequences of cyanide and heavy metal contamination of waterways.
The pro-government Yeni Şafak daily’s reporting focused on the technical aspects of search and rescue operations, ignoring the inadequate safety measures highlighted by photos of rescue teams working in contaminated soil without proper protective equipment.
While some media put the blame solely on the mining company, others, including Hürriyet, cite several factors that contributed to the disaster, such as poor waste management and the controversial decision to build the plant near the Euphrates River. It is striking that the role of former Environment and Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum in approving the mine’s operational expansions is not mentioned in pro-government publications, underscoring the selective reporting that omits potentially damaging information about the involvement of government officials.
