The Pomier Caves: a battle between companies and environmentalists

San Cristóbal — The Cuevas de Borbón or El Pomier Anthropological Reserve, in the province of San Cristóbal, represents the struggle of three sectors and they were contacted yesterday by the newspaper Hoy: the environmentalists, who are calling for a halt to mining; the community, which is divided between those who want mining and those who live from it, and on the other side, there are concessionary companies who are claiming the right to manufacture sodium carbonate, and warning that if it is not produced in the Dominican Republic, the country will have to import it.

Environmental activists and residents of San Cristóbal, such as José Corporán, Alex Corporán, who are involved on a daily basis in the Cuevas del Pomier; the doctor Manuel Antonio Nina Ramírez and the lawyer Mercedes Castillo, accuse the three mining companies that exploit the limestone rocks of polluting the waters of the Nigua River and damaging the environment and the Caves.

Following the announcement last Thursday by the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, to halt mining in the core zone or buffer area of the Pomier Caves, environmentalists are celebrating the possibility that the area will be declared a World Heritage Site.

Regarding the president’s statements, the spokesperson and lawyer for the mining company closest to the Caves, Dominicana de Cales (DOCALSA), José Martínez Brito, said that they have not made any decision, because the company is hardly affected by the president’s statements, “because DOCALSA is not currently operating in the core area or the buffer zone”, which are militarized areas where work is being prohibited.

He stated that DOLCALSA is working on the exploitation of limestone in the Bainsa concession, which is outside the buffer zone.

He described as false the claim that Docalsa contaminates the waters of the Nigua River with calcium carbonate, as this is a treatment used in water treatment plants for purification. “Hydrographic studies have been carried out on the water that may be underground in the Pomier area and no basin connects with the Nigua River or the Toma.”

He specified that the water that connects with the intake is that of El Tamblazo and there, there is a river extraction operation, which eliminates the natural filter, so that when it rains, the runoff water is the color of limestone, “but it is not pollution.” He clarified that the company does not work with aggregates.

DOCALSA’s lawyer denied that they have the community’s disagreement and points out that the demonstrations of the Pomier community are in favor of responsible mining. He admits that the disagreement with mining comes from environmental groups, and they see it as a balance.

Environmentalist Luis Carvajal

The biologist and environmental activist valued the “protection of the Pomier Caves with the presidential decision of Abinader.

He said that he was filled with joy and hope by the recent ban on mining in the area around the Cuevas del Pomier, an announcement that finally recognizes the importance of this invaluable natural and cultural heritage of our nation.

“This decision is, without a doubt, a triumph for the environmental movement and for all the social sectors that have fought tirelessly for the conservation of our natural wealth,” he said. However, Carvajal considered it necessary to point out that what is now prohibited was already banned by previous laws and decrees, such as Decree 233-96, which created “The Anthropological Reserve Cuevas de Borbón”, Law 64-2000 on the Environment and Law 202-2004 on Protected Areas and Biodiversity.

What is really required is not a new ban, but the effective application of the law that has been ignored until now. Institutional weakness, collusion and complicity on the part of governments and officials allowed the destruction of this heritage to be perpetrated, exposing the lack of political will to protect what belongs to us all. He recalled that Las Cuevas del Pomier are an invaluable asset, not only for their archaeological wealth, but also for their hydrological, biological, cultural, social, landscape and historical importance. “Their conservation is imperative for the preservation of our identity and for future generations”.

The researcher and professor see the action taken by the president as a positive step, but urges vigilance to prevent a repeat of the ecological crime.

He believes it is crucial to bring those who committed environmental crimes to justice. In addition, the environmental and fiscal obligations of the companies involved should be investigated, so that they can be made to bear the full cost of environmental restoration and the repayment of the amounts evaded to the central government and the municipalities. He understands that for those who have worked for the protection of Las Cuevas del Pomier, this triumph is a clear example for all the environmental struggles being fought in the country, because it shows that, although the road is long and full of obstacles, perseverance, unity and the organization of society produce victories.