UASD Environmental Commission affirms 15 caverns destroyed in Pomier

San Cristóbal — The archaeological heritage of the Pomier Caves, in the province of San Cristóbal, is in a very sorry state, as 15 of the 57 known caves have been destroyed during more than 40 years of mining, and four others have disappeared, as they are not the only ones.

The Environmental Commission of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) denounced this after yesterday’s workshop, which included various sectors, including the Academy of Sciences and environmental organizations from San Cristóbal, to assess the situation of this cultural heritage site.

Engineer Carmen Veloz Coma, an assessor for the university’s Envuniversity’sommission, explained that only 57 caves have been explored, but the system is even more significant. The caves make up the Natural Monument, which has an area of 12 km2 and includes a core area (4.12 km2) and a buffer zone.

It belongs to the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP) and is, as such, under the administrative responsibility of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN).

She explains that this cave system is perhaps the most extensive collection of pre-Columbian rock art in the entire Caribbean. “Certainly, much of the pre-Hispanic archaeological and cultural heritage that we had in the Pomier Caves has been lost. Of the 54 caves discovered, about 15 have been lost or destroyed, and others have been affected because they are not the only ones,” said the disaster risk management specialist.

She indicates that this system of porous limestone rocks is a material of high commercial value as it is a source of quicklime, hydrated lime, calcium carbonate, aggregates for the construction industry, beauty products, agriculture and livestock, talc, and medicines; it is in grave danger due to mining activity in the area.

Veloz Coma points out that due to the method of extraction (mechanical with explosives) and the activity itself, 4 of the 57 identified caves have already disappeared, one of them with a high historical and cultural value as it contained a large amount of rock art and petroglyphs, and another four are seriously affected.

Among other effects, he cites violation of Law 64-00 and Law 202-04 on Protected Areas and Biodiversity, the loss of biodiversity in the area since the entire forested area is cleared for extraction, and the alteration of the natural habitat of various species such as bats, birds, invertebrates, reptiles, and others.

Likewise, it denounces a great deal of permanent noise pollution from machinery and surface water and air pollution from the particulate matter released by mining activities.

Reports
In July 2021, the UASD Environmental Commission issued a report on the contamination or bleaching of the waters of La Toma de San Cristóbal as the limestone processing plants are located in the buffer zone of the caves, so they were able to discharge the volumes of “lime water” that entered the La Toma Spring through surface runoff throughout June of that same year.

In May 2022, another report was issued regarding the complaint about the construction of a trail or path in the caves area, which was clearly illegal because it was within the core area.