Concern is growing on both sides of the El Salvador–Guatemala border over a gold mining exploration project that environmentalists say threatens the Ostúa River, located in the Guatemalan municipality of Asunción Mita, just a few miles from Salvadoran territory.
Activists warn that any contamination from mineral extraction could have consequences well beyond Guatemala’s borders. The Ostúa River is part of a binational watershed that eventually feeds into Lake Güija, a lake shared by El Salvador and Guatemala that serves as a source of water and livelihood for communities on both sides. That shared geography is precisely why the issue has drawn attention from environmental groups in both countries, not just in Guatemala.
Although mining activity has not yet reached full-scale extraction, the exploratory phase alone has been enough to reignite long-standing fears about heavy metal contamination, water scarcity, and damage to local ecosystems—concerns that have surfaced repeatedly in Central America whenever gold mining projects are proposed near rivers and lakes used for drinking water, fishing, or agriculture.
For now, no new government decisions have been announced, but community and environmental organizations say they intend to keep monitoring the project closely and pressing both governments for transparency.
To read the full original report from El Diario de Hoy, follow the link to the source article.
Source: Persiste temor a proyecto minero en zona entre El Salvador y Guatemala (El Diario de Hoy).
Image: ProjectHorizons, BY-SA 4.0 (via Openverse).