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HOLGUIN, May 7 (Juan Carlos Garcell, APLO / www.cubanet.org) - Residents of
La Veguita, a small community located between two nickel plants operated as a
joint venture between the Cuban government and Sherritt International, a
Canadian concern, are exposed to environmental contamination and chemical spills
resulting from mining operations in Moa, Holguín province.
"Children go to school in clean uniforms and come back with them dirty,
full of impurities coming from the nickel plant," said one resident who
didn’t want to be identified.
"For some time now the Pedro Soto Alba plant has been extracting the
mineral in the area, without any regard for the health and the complaints of the
residents," the man said.
Sherritt officials said, according to the resident, that they had paid for
the land to exploit it.
Another resident said "The cloud of soot coming from the Ernesto
Guevara plant makes it impossible for people to hang clothes outside to dry."
Reportedly there is a pile of sulfurous waste that periodically catches on
fire from exposure to the Sun, giving off fumes that aggravate residents’
breathing difficulties.
Versión
original en español
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