Recent Developments

Pollution from Manganese Metal Plants Remains an Issue in China

In June, 2006, villagers from Xia Lei, Daxin county, Guangxi province, China, held a demonstration to bring to the attention of local authorities concerns regarding pollution and land compensation irregularities resulting from electrolytic manganese metal plants operating in the area, according to reports from the Associated Press and other wire services. This is the first report to suggest that actions initiated by the Chinese government in 2005 to force clean up of manganese metal plants (pdf) have not been fully successful and that major pollution concerns remain.

According to the wire service reports, the area is a rich source of manganese. Starting in the late 1960s, Daxin Manganese began developing the area for mining and processing. The mining company dumped waste directly into the Heishui River, the only water source for local residents. The industrial development also caused noise and air pollution, causing further deterioration of villagers’ health and living environment. Villagers say that Daxin Manganese also appropriated land without following the appropriate procedures, thereby depriving villagers of a livelihood without paying the compensation originally promised. Demands by local residents for Daxin Manganese to address pollution and land use issues were ignored.

In August 2005, Daxin Manganese, which had by then become part of Guangxi Dameng Manganese Industrial Co. Ltd., was merged into the partially state-owned CITIC conglomerate, changing its name to CITIC Dameng Mining Industries Ltd. and becoming one of the world’s largest manganese conglomerates. Ignoring the protests of local residents, CITIC Dameng began constructing a manganese metal plant less than 100 meters from village residences.

The SeleniumWatch.org website was among the first to report on the pollution from selenium and other contaminants caused by manganese metal production in China. (pdf)