Era Dorada mining project threatens El Salvador and Guatemala border

Environmental groups and local communities in El Salvador and Guatemala are raising alarms over the Era Dorada open-pit mining project, formerly known as Cerro Blanco. Operated by the Canadian company Aura Minerals, the gold exploration activities are being criticized for posing a significant threat to the environment and human life.

Activists warn that exploration processes could contaminate the Lempa River basin, the longest river in Central America, which serves El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras for irrigation and hydroelectric power. Specifically, there are concerns regarding the Ostúa River in Guatemala, which flows into Lake Güija and eventually into the Lempa River. Julio González of the NGO Alianza Centroamérica Frente a la Minería stated that even without gold extraction, the exploration phase risks releasing harmful minerals such as arsenic into the water supply.

In the Guatemalan town of Asunción Mita, local opposition is high; a municipal consultation indicated that 87% of residents reject the mining project.