© PFFD/CC/Wikimedia Commons
View of Fort-Dauphin from the Pic Saint-Louis, in Madagascar.
The exploitation of ilmenite carried out by the company QMM, a subsidiary of the company Rio Tinto, would be at the origin of this risk, denounce organizations in a press release. This ore is used in the manufacture of paint in particular. According to testimonies from inhabitants of Fort-Dauphin in the south-east of the island, wastewater from a basin would have flowed into the surrounding waterways in mid-February.
With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Like Laetitia
« Take urgent measures to provide drinking water to the inhabitants and to avoid the consumption of even more polluted water than usual. This is the request of these organizations to the authorities. Bonaventure Razanadahy, resident of Fort-Dauphin and president of an association of notables in the region, participated in a meeting with QMM on Friday.
« Unclean water spilled into the river. QMM made observations but they did not reassure us. They said they were going to investigate and send us the report. River water is what we drink. We are afraid to consume it but we cannot do otherwise. We can’t afford to buy bottled water. »
According to residents, the incident took place on the Mandena mining site, located regarding ten kilometers from Fort-Dauphin. Jacquelin Rajaonarison, one of the representatives of civil society in Fort-Dauphin, went to the scene on Sunday to take samples from the rivers, which must be analyzed by the National Office for the Environment and the water direction.
« The water was very red, full of oil and it didn’t smell good. We are now awaiting the test results. The basin has overflowed because there is no protective wall to hold back the water. All Fort-Dauphin is affected by this problem. What we have been asking for for a long time is that the water from the Efaho River be brought to Fort-Dauphin so that people can drink it without fear. »
The Minister of Water and that of Health, who visited the site a week ago, assured that an in-depth investigation will be carried out concerning the water discharged by the QMM company.
