RE: Cascabel pipeline threatens rivers, communities and biodiversity4 Sep 2025 18:38
A 200-kilometre mineral pipeline proposed by Australian mining company SolGold has ignited fierce debate in Ecuador and Colombia, with experts warning that it could trigger the most severe mining-related environmental disaster in recent Latin American history.
The project, tied to the Cascabel copper-gold mine in northern Ecuador’s Mira River basin, would transport concentrated mineral slurry — comprised of powdered ore and water at a 60:40 ratio — from the mine site to the port of Esmeraldas.
The slurry contains copper, lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals.
Environmental observers fear spills, leaks, and failures along the route could devastate rivers, mangrove ecosystems, and coastal communities.
According to project documents, the Cascabel mine is expected to generate over 600 million tonnes of tailings, most of which will be discharged into dams in the Santiago and Mira river basins.
Tailings ponds are prone to leaks and failures; the 2019 Brumadinho dam collapse in Brazil killed 270 people and released millions of cubic metres of toxic mud into rivers, highlighting escalating global concerns about mine waste management.
The proposed slurry pipeline would cut across 18 parishes in northern Esmeraldas Province, crossing the Rioverde, Cayapas, Santiago, and numerous smaller rivers before reaching the Esmeraldas River.
Nearly 50 small estuaries — including the protected Esmeraldas River Mangrove Wildlife Refuge and the Manglares Cayapas-Mataje Ecological Reserve — would be placed at risk of contamination.
These habitats provide livelihoods for Afro-Ecuadorian and Indigenous communities through sustainable fishing and shellfish harvesting.
Marine scientists warn that contaminated sediments from the mine and tailings ponds will ultimately collect in mangrove ecosystems, threatening more than 80 kilometres of Ecuador and Colombia’s Pacific coastline.
These regions belong to the Chocó biogeographic corridor, one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth.
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