Ecuador, Government Approves USD 5 Million to Assist Miners in Esmeraldas

• According to LaHora.com, Non-Renewable Resources Minister, Wilson Pastor says that the government approved an initial amount of USD 5 million to reintegrate miners in Esmeraldas after illegal activity ceased their activity.
• In Zamora Chinchipe, where 46 families live off of illegal mining, now will be able to work with the state through the National Mining Company, Enami.
• Esmeraldas must establish a limit for environmental impact, quantify liabilities, remedy zoning areas and define non-working sites.
• Environmental remediation is the first step, including normalizing watercourses and checking for heavy metal contents.
• Exploitation in the past two years has increased due to the price of gold.
• Last year, fifteen miners began a reintegration program with the ministry and 120 miners received provisional licenses.Read Article

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