Samar (Philippines) Environment Irreversibly Damaged

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From the Manila Bulletin

BORONGAN, Eastern Samar - "Samarenos have claimed victory in their dogged struggle to preserve the island's remaining forest, but for some of Samar Island's precious natural wealth the success of the save-the-environment campaign came years too late.

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From the 1970s to the 1990s, 15 logging concessionaires destroyed 660,000 hectares of the island's forests.

Starting in 1950 until 1980, mining companies despoiled the environment in a made rush to extract coal, pyrite, chromite, nickel and other mineral products from the island's rich mineral deposits. Twelve years after the Philippine Pyrite Corp. ceased its mining operation in Barangay Bagacay, Hinabangan, Samar, the Tafrt River in eastern Samar remains a dead river. Until now no marine life survives in the river because of heavy pollution from the Bagacay mines upstream. Agricultural lines traversed by the tramlines of Bagacay mines remain barren to this day.

Samar Island boasts of 25 rivers. Some of these rivers have shown alarming signs of drying up, due to back scouring and the effect of pollutants disgorged by mining companies."

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Manila Bulletin

Can't get direct link - use search function on "Samar environment" - fourth story down.