Ex-post damage impact assessment of the marcopper mining disaster in Marinduque, Philippines

Abstract

The 1996 Marcopper Mine Disaster remains the most significant event in the Philippines. There is various impact assessments had been conducted about the disaster but none of them consider full public participation, consideration of biodiversity, and analysis of cumulative effects. This research aims to quantify economic and environmental losses from the disaster using multi-dimensional impact assessment framework involving integration of economic valuation methods and primary stakeholder consultations. This would be assessing the impact of the disaster human health, livelihood, and sediment deposition. Heavy metal exposure drives public health concerns such as toxicity, skin lesions, and disease costing the government to allocate Php 3.3 million for toxicology programs and treatment of affected individuals. The disaster tainted community livelihood with a 99% decline in fishery and aquaculture production exacerbated by contamination perceptions that also reduces other livelihood activities — producing total foregone income of Php 50,131,795. Presence of heavy metals in the mine tailings are being deposited in Boac and Mogpog River, and Calancan Bay which continue to distress water ecosystems, initiate flooding, and acidif pore waters. Interventions used to mitigate the disaster impacts found to be short-term solutions, encouraging the government to revisit strategies and policies related to Marcopper Disaster.

Key Points