Second complaint in a note sent to Moz24h where residents of Inhambane accuse the Chinese mining company that engages in heavy sand mining of violating the law by opening a mine without the proper Environmental license.
“Haiyu is about to open a new mine next to Inhambane. Without an environmental license. without community consultation. this is the same area where the petrochemical city is being proposed. This is one of only two remaining areas in Mozambique where the Miombo coastal forest still reaches the sea. Right beside the Sanctuary as well. Remember that on April 17 the Government of Mozambique, in partnership with the Phoenix Group and Haiyu, based in Hong Kong, announced the opening for the development of a new ‘Petrochemical City’ in the heart of Inhambane’s marine landscape and one of the most important ecological areas, although no public consultation or environmental review was conducted. The marine landscape of Inhambane is of crucial importance for thousands of Indigenous families who depend on healthy seas and forests for their survival, and it is classified by IUCN as a Globally Exceptional Marine Area and by UNESCO as a Potential World Heritage Site. Nature-based economic alternatives, ‘large debt-for-nature swaps,’ and significant investments in ecotourism and more sustainable economies were proposed but ignored by the Government.
Haiyu Mining – one of the companies that has already begun sand mining in an area adjacent to the proposed Petrochemical City – is already accused of perpetuating significant human rights and environmental violations in Mozambique. https://cjimoz.org.mz/news/mais-uma-vez-expulsos-de-suas-terras-e-mares/
The Inhambane marine landscape is the heart of a Mission Blue Hope Spot and of a unique bioregion scientifically recognized as essential for the health of the marine ecosystems of the southern Western Indian Ocean. The new proposed ‘Petrochemical City’ is located atop one of the most pristine mangrove forests that still exist, near large offshore coral reefs and a Miombo coastal forest, rare and threatened. This occurs at a time when the IUCN’s Blue Wall initiative is launching and committing hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in communities and marine health along this coast. It is where President Daniel Chapo launched the ‘Petrochemical City,’ in the heart of Inhambane’s marine landscape.
In contact with the mining company, they told Moz24h that “The information is not correct, Haiyu Mining has an environmental license, at this moment we are in the infrastructure phase, construction; I don’t know what residents understand as permitted works in the construction phase, this is the construction phase, stage, basic conditions and functions to support operations and also. Assembly of the entire production machinery system, tests, then check if all machines are functioning well or not. We are not doing mining. And there is another reason, we don’t even have a port at the moment, nor access to transport the mining.!” Said Juyi Li – Francisco, representative of the mining company, who committed to sending Moz24h a copy of the said environmental license.
Port of uncertainties and with nefarious consequences
In contradiction with the mining company’s representative, he refers to the construction of a port, one of the major objectives. The construction of the said port, according to Inhambane residents, will be built in the marine heart of Inhambane. “They want to build the port right here in Inhambane’s mangrove!”
Race for concessions
There are several areas being concessioned, probably linked to the coveted petrochemical city project. These concessions extend almost along the entire coast of Inhambane province, from Pomene to Vilankulo!
According to our sources, these are concessions being granted without consultations. “Even where there are titles of land use and occupancy (DUATs), everything is being handed over. And what is seen is that, with the construction of this port, the threat is much greater than what is seen now. In the mining registry, when you click on the concession, there is some information about the company name. So, there are several. But what I sometimes see is that it starts sometimes with a sole proprietorship and then I think it is sold to a company, and then the company becomes part of the same consortium. For example: Haiyu…. it’s all under the same corporation,” said the source.
Here in the registry you can see the concessions in this Vilankulo to Pomene corridor, including the Haiyu Mining concession https://portals.landfolio.com/mozambique/en/
Thousands of people will be affected and with nefarious environmental consequences
Moz24h learned from sources that the construction of the said port puts the area at risk, the disappearance of the entire coast.
“What is happening in those images will be nothing. This coast is set to become completely wiped out, and it will probably entail the resettlement of people, all of those things. I don’t know, but when I see that project plan for the petrochemical project, I don’t know what is real or not, but those mining concessions, when they overlay that, on satellite, on top of many communities, I don’t see the communities remaining within all that. And I don’t know how those resettlements would be.. It’s many people, many people. We are talking about thousands of families. There are some communities that are a bit smaller, we know them a bit better, and we are talking about between 4 to 5 thousand people who are smaller, but when you go further along the National Road, there are larger populated cities.” Said another local source.
Alternatives discarded
Even with alternatives that would safeguard the lives of the communities as well as their livelihoods, as well as marine life and the environment, these have repeatedly been rejected.
“There is a component of alternatives, because there have been several project proposals, considering the global importance for the oceans of this area. IUCN itself is bringing investments, Conservation International itself, African Parks, which is negotiating an agreement… there were proposals from the debt-for-nature swaps. In other words, there are potential financings including endowment funds that would also negotiate with the government for this entire area. In other words, it’s not that there isn’t an alternative, but there is an alternative that would focus very much on community development, even while preserving those resources.”—sources on the ground.
And the sources add that the Chinese mining company parades at will without regard for the communities, while roads and mining concessions continue to open. And, “When you try to ask for the legal documentation and that, you never get anything. That is another point. I think it would be good to investigate a bit and also try to bring a bit of attention, because this is a somewhat forgotten area of Inhambane’s coast, but extremely important. And I think it is precisely because it is forgotten that space is opened for this to be happening in any case.”—emphasizes the source (Moz24h)
https://moz24h.co.mz/cidade-petroquimica-no-coracao-da-paisagem-maritima-de-inhambane/
