Bolivia's Cerro Rico, the 'mountain that eats men', could sink whole city
Bolivia's Cerro Rico, the 'mountain that eats men', could sink whole city
Plans to stabilise summit by filling in huge sinkhole not enough to guarantee future of mining city of Potosí, say critics
Sara Shahriari in Potosí
theguardian.com, Friday 10 January 2014 12.24 EST
At 6am, a weak and silvery light illuminates the narrow streets of the Calvario neighbourhood, as thousands of men and teenage boys make their way towards the cone-shaped peak that looms over the Bolivian city of Potosí.
El Cerro Rico – the rich hill – stands above what was once the largest silver deposit in the world: veins of precious metals so bountiful they bankrolled the Spanish empire and changed the course of history. Even today, a booming commodities market means the mountain continues to drive the local economy: about 15% of Potosí's male population still work in mining; thousands more are involved in transporting, smelting, sorting and trading minerals.
But 470 years of digging have left the mountain so riddled with tunnels and sinkholes that geologists say parts of the peak risk collapse. The government is racing to implement an ambitious $2.4m (£1.5m) plan to stabilise the Cerro Rico's summit by filling in a 700 sq m sinkhole, which appeared in 2011.
Some Bolivians say the measures are insufficient and are calling for a ban on mining near the peak, a proposal that in turn outrages miners who depend on their mineral concessions – several of which are perilously close to the sinkhole.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/10/bolivia-cerro-rico-mountain-sink-city-potosi