Re: contaminated water

Military troops fired tear gas, injuring people and arresting dozens   Mining giant Rio Tinto is contaminating Madagascar’s lakes and rivers. Locals say their water is no longer drinkable and fish stocks are depleted. Tell Rio Tinto to stop its polluting practices at the QMM mine! [Lots of dead fish float at edge of lake, green reeds fringe the lake]( [ Sign the petitionÂ]( {NAME}, Rio Tinto’s destructive QMM mine in Madagascar is contaminating pristine lakes and waterways where locals draw their drinking water -- and say the mine is undermining their health and destroying livelihoods. When locals took to the streets a few weeks ago to protest against the mine, military troops fired tear gas, injuring people and arresting dozens. Rio Tinto had agreed to pay compensation for losses due to the mine’s impacts. But the compensation process was riddled with reports of human rights violations including intimidation, gagging orders and inadequate payments. {NAME}, will you support local communities by building a massive public outcry against the mining corporations' bullying and polluting practices?  [Sign the petition calling on Rio Tinto to stop its polluting practices at QMM mine and allow independent audits of the water quality and compensation process.]( The mine is not just affecting water quality, it is undermining the local communities' health, depleting fish stocks and impacting food production which has reduced people's income by as much as 50%. A study of QMM’s water data showed elevated levels of uranium in the mine basin and in waterways downstream 50x higher than World Health Organisation safe drinking water guidelines. Other concerning contaminants detected include lead, aluminium and cadmium. The mining giant denies that QMM is impacting the environment or having any effect on water quality or the health of local people. Yet it won't allow any independent audit of the water quality issues. Rio Tinto is the second biggest mining corporation in the world whilst Madagascar is the 5th poorest country in the world, and a biodiversity hotspot. In the Anosy region where the mine operates, over 91% of rural people are living in multidimensional poverty. [Add your name to the petition now → tell Rio Tinto to clean up its act and stop polluting lakes and rivers.]( Rio Tinto has billions more than the whole of Madagascar, but the Ekō community has people like you all around the world who can help shine a spotlight on the mining giants’ human rights violations. We’ve taken on mining corporations before and helped locals win, like Máxima, an Indigenous Peruvian farmer, who kept her land safe from a gold mine. Together we can take on Rio Tinto and help stop its polluting practices. [ Sign the petitionÂ]( Thanks for all that you do, Nish and the team at Ekō More information: [Madagascar: new tensions around the activities of the QMM mining company in Fort-Dauphin]( RFI. 4 July 2023. [Rio Tinto must repair the damage caused by their Madagascar mine]( Mongabay. 28 April 2023. [Rio Tinto-owned operation leaks radionuclides into Madagascar lakes]( Mining Technology. 5 September 2018. [Fish deaths near Rio Tinto mine in Madagascar dredge up community grievances]( Mongabay. 16 May 2023. [Malagasy unionists arrested over QMM protests must be released!]( IndustriALL. 19 July 2023.     --------------------------------------------------------------- Ekō is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. We want to buy from, work for and invest in companies that respect the environment, treat their workers well and respect democracy. And we’re not afraid to stand up to them when they don’t. Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3 [Chip in $3]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. | [Unsubscribe](   --------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Us On Social Media [Facebok]( [Instagram]( [Youtube](Eko.Movement) [Twitter]( [TikTok](eko.movement) [Telegram](