Activists from Provea, producers and residents of Carora, in the state of Lara, denounce that the El Plan hill has been threatened by the exploitation of silica by the company Inesco, together with the Lara State Mining Institute, attached to the governance of this entity.
Experts say that on the El Plan hill, 50 kilometers south of Carora and at an altitude of 1,053 meters, there is a large reserve of 100% pure silica, a substance from which many materials are derived, such as glued cement and glass.
This place is accompanied by a very diverse ecosystem that includes a great flora and fauna with species that are only seen in the wooded area that surrounds El Plan hill. In addition, about 200 meters from the place is the well-known Cueva El Indio, where there are species in danger of extinction.
The mountain has about seven springs of living and crystal clear water with 98% potability, which feed the four rivers that supply the population.
Silica mining
The exploitation of the mine by Empresa Inesco SRL began in 2016. The company’s representatives arrived at the site with irregular permits endorsed by the Ministry of the Environment, in which they declared the sector a “mining area”.
The environmental impact project issued by the Ministry of the Environment indicated that the place of exploitation is a semi-arid zone, where cardones and cujíes predominate, with a scarce fauna.
However, a team of journalists and members of Provea, accompanied by residents, were able to verify that it is a totally wooded, humid area, with fairly extensive vegetation, where, in addition to the springs of living water, fauna is predominant.
“This indicates that the alleged permit was only made to comply with an administrative procedure,” said a worked Posted by Provide.
The inhabitants affirm that they are not going to allow the silica reserves to be exploited, as they fear losing water, which is an essential part of the work they do every day to sustain themselves.
Thanks to the large water reserves, the land of these hamlets has allowed the sustainability of the farmers and inhabitants of the area.
All this indicates, according to experts in the area, that the Los Quediches reservoir, which supplies water to the surrounding towns, the villages on the Lara-Zulia highway and the city of Carora, is being indirectly threatened, affecting a total of 180,000 population.
In February 2021, members of the Environmental Movement denounced that mining exploitation will affect the entire community in the area in the future.
“Open-pit mining of the silica reservoir located on El Plan hill would result in the destruction of an entire area, deforesting and eliminating reservoirs of fauna and flora; eroding the soil, affecting various water springs and distorting the entire surrounding ecosystem, which in turn would bring about a decrease in rainfall in the Los Quediches reservoir basin, and therefore, a decrease in water for the Carora aqueduct and of all the hamlets bordering the Lara-Zulia highway,” the investigation indicated.
