Bloated and distorted carcasses shimmered on the surface of Lake Ambavarano in southeastern Madagascar. Forty-year-old fisherman Olivier Randimbisoa lost count as they floated by.
“I know what it’s like to see a dead fish that’s been speared,” he said. “I’d never seen anything like this.”
A series of cyclones and storms had battered the region in early 2022, and in the days afterward, the air was still and calm. As Randimbisoa paddled around in his dugout canoe, he recognized the different species and called them by their local names: fiambazaha, saroa, vily, and malemiloha. Overnight, the fish he made his living from, the fish his wife and children ate, the fish that supported the entire lakeside community, were nearly gone.
“It was scary, because we have been eating fish from this lake for so long. We have fed our families, and now it’s polluted,” said Randimbisoa. “We have told our families not to go to the lake.”
Randimbisoa has a theory about what killed the fish. “It’s dirty water from the factory of QMM,” he said.
Lake Ambavarano, where Randimbisoa works, is connected to two other lakes — Besaroy and Lanirano — through a series of narrow waterways. The lakes are adjacent to QIT Madagascar Minerals, or QMM: a mine in Madagascar that’s 80 percent owned by the Anglo-Australian mining and metals behemoth Rio Tinto, and 20 percent by the government of Madagascar. The mine extracts ilmenite, a major source of titanium dioxide, which is mainly used as a white pigment in products like paints, plastics, and paper. QMM also produces monazite, a mineral that contains highly sought-after rare-earth elements used to produce the magnets in electric vehicles and wind turbines.
After the fish deaths, the government of Madagascar’s environmental regulator and Rio Tinto conducted water sampling work. Citing such testing, Rio Tinto says there is no proof that its mining killed the fish. Water sample analysis revealed “no conclusive link between our mine activities and the observed dead fish by community members,” a company spokesperson wrote in an email to The Intercept. Those results have not been made available to the public, despite requests by civil society groups and The Intercept.
Now, more than 15 years after QMM became operational, Rio Tinto is facing a likely lawsuit in an English court brought by U.K.-based law firm Leigh Day on behalf of residents of villages near the QMM mine. In a letter of claim, a document that is an early step in a lawsuit in the U.K., the villagers accuse Rio Tinto of contaminating the waterways and lakes that they use for domestic purposes with elevated and harmful levels of uranium and lead, which pose a serious risk to human health. Leigh Day commissioned blood lead level testing in the area around the mine as part of its research into the claim. According to the letter of claim, which was sent on Tuesday, the testing shows that 58 people living around the mine have elevated levels of lead, and that the majority of cases exceed the threshold at which the World Health Organization recommends clinical and environmental interventions, 5 micrograms per deciliter. The claim alleges that the most likely cause of the elevated levels is a result of QMM’s mine processes.
“They and other local families are being forced to consume water which is contaminated with harmful heavy metals.”
“Whilst Rio Tinto extracts large profits from its mining operations in Madagascar, our clients’ case is that they and other local families are being forced to consume water which is contaminated with harmful heavy metals. In bringing this case, our clients are seeking accountability and justice for the damage that has been caused to their local environment and their health,” Paul Dowling, Leigh Day’s lead partner on the case, told The Intercept.
Leigh Day’s blood lead level testing results are a significant development that may for the first time quantify the detrimental health impacts their clients allege are posed by QMM. Surface water pollution and lead poisoning are both global problems, and the case will be watched closely not just by Rio Tinto shareholders, but by global environmental justice advocates in other nations where villagers also accuse industrial giants of polluting their waterways.
“We have received the letter from Leigh Day,” said the Rio Tinto spokesperson, who declined further comment on the allegations. The spokesperson pointed to a published report that states that the company’s recent water analysis had not detected metals, including uranium and lead, that had previously been identified as potential concerns.
Madagascar’s environmental regulator, the National Office for the Environment, or ONE, says it has periodically monitored QMM’s activities over the last decade and has tested the water following past complaints about contamination. “In the face of these accusations, ONE requested several expert analyses … the results of which indicated no contamination of surface waters nor mining sites,” Hery Rajaomanana, ONE’s director of environmental integration and sustainable development, told The Intercept in March.
Photo: Patrick Meinhardt for The Intercept
Rio Tinto, which has over 52,000 employees and saw net earnings of $12.4 billion in 2022, has a troubled track record in Madagascar.
Local residents, civil society groups, and media outlets have accused the company of causing harm to the endangered forest, endangering rare endemic species, displacing villagers without proper compensation, disrupting fishers’ livelihoods, and failing to fulfill promises of providing local employment. Protests against the mine have been ongoing since its establishment, with recent skirmishes in June resulting in a week-long road blockade by residents, leading the government to deploy police and army forces to restore order.
In response to the allegations, a Rio Tinto spokesperson expressed the company’s commitment to addressing community concerns and engaging in constructive dialogue to minimize the impact of its operations while providing sustainable benefits to host communities.
The company is currently facing legal claims related to its mine in Anôsy, Madagascar, including accusations of contaminating water sources with harmful levels of uranium and lead. A British law firm representing villagers near the mine has initiated legal action, citing elevated blood lead levels in residents as evidence of health risks posed by the mine. Despite these claims, Rio Tinto has denied the allegations and reported no detection of harmful substances in its water analysis.
Rio Tinto’s track record of controversies includes the destruction of Aboriginal Australian sites, workplace misconduct allegations, bribery accusations, and environmental concerns at various global operations. Recent reports commissioned by the Mongolian government’s anti-corruption regulator have shed light on allegations of unethical conduct by the company in multiple countries. Despite these challenges, Rio Tinto remains focused on advancing its projects, including controversial developments on sacred Indigenous land and plans for new mining ventures in different regions.
The company’s response to the draft reports and legal challenges outlined a strategy of deflection and leveraging political dynamics during election cycles to mitigate scrutiny and opposition. With ongoing concerns about its practices and impact on communities and environments, Rio Tinto faces increasing pressure from stakeholders and regulatory bodies to address these issues and uphold transparency and accountability in its operations. In the midst of a competitive election with opposition candidates, the incumbent President Andry Rajoelina emerged victorious despite allegations of fraud, low voter turnout, and violence. In the same period, Rajoelina’s top aide faced legal issues in London for soliciting a bribe from a mining company to operate in Madagascar. Rio Tinto, on the other hand, finalized new terms with the government, committing to infrastructure and community projects. The company aimed to expand its operations along Madagascar’s eastern coastline.
QMM began exploring for mineral sands in 1986 in Anôsy, a region with about 800,000 inhabitants, most of whom live in rural poverty. The area is home to a unique ecosystem, the littoral forest, which is rapidly disappearing due to habitat destruction. Despite its beauty and ecological importance, the region has been transformed by mining activities, leading to environmental degradation and social divisions.
Activist Tahiry Ratsiambahotra founded LuSud to oppose Rio Tinto’s project, citing concerns about environmental risks and the exploitation of local communities. Despite his efforts to raise awareness and gather support against the mine, the project moved forward, displacing families and altering the once idyllic landscape of Fort Dauphin. A World Bank assessment projected that approximately 1,900 individuals would face temporary or permanent displacement due to the Integrated Growth Poles Project in Madagascar.
“They knew if QMM took the land, they were lost. So, they tried to protect the land,” Ratsiambahotra said. “But they were afraid of the government, because they were powerful. So, this is a question. They could fight against QMM, but how to fight against their own government?”
“We were “eggs fighting against stones,” said 40-year-old Georges Marolahy Razafidrafara, a resident of Mandramondramotra, the village located closest to the mine.
In the end, the eggs lost the fight. QMM became one of the first large-scale investors in Madagascar in 1998, when the company signed an agreement with the government that allowed for concessionary breaks on taxes, duties, and royalties.
“People didn’t yet understand the ecological impact of the mine,” Ratsiambahotra said. “So, Parliament adopted the agreement.”
Mbola Jeannot, the patriarch of a large family living in a fishing village, faced pressure from QMM representatives to sell his land for the mine’s operations. Despite resistance from villagers, many ultimately accepted compensation from QMM.
The company’s influence in Madagascar, backed by its financial contributions to regulatory bodies, raises questions about the independence of assessments.
Despite concerns raised by various groups, QMM obtained a license to begin operations in 2005. The mine’s construction and capacity to produce ilmenite ore were facilitated by American company Fluor. The extractive industry project has had significant social, environmental, and economic impacts on the region. The construction of a physical barrier has stopped the inundations of salt water from the sea into Lake Ambavarano, essentially converting it into a freshwater lake. Unfortunately, this change has led to the loss of nearly all the species of fish that thrived in the brackish water conditions. The Rio Tinto mining operation began in 2008, and since then, at least 27 fish species have disappeared from the lakes. Olivier Randimbisoa, a fisherman and tour guide, has been significantly impacted by the barrier, as it has severely limited his fishing opportunities and income. Despite promises of compensation from the company, payments to the affected community members were abruptly stopped without explanation. The situation has been deemed one of the most damaging to a community in the area by an external advisory panel. The impact extends beyond the lake fisherfolk to include ocean fishermen, like Jeannot, who have also faced challenges due to the mining operations, including the loss of fishing spots. QMM provided compensation to the fishers during the construction period and assured them they could resume work once it was finished. However, they were not informed that the construction of the port would have permanent effects on the fish population in the harbor, limiting their fishing times to when container ships were not in use.
Jeannot expressed that their livelihoods had been ruined and the environment around the port had been damaged. Over the past 18 months, QMM has implemented a grievance and compensation program with the government of Madagascar and community representatives to address these concerns.
The QMM mine extracts ilmenite from mineral-rich sands by using water-filled basins and dredging out the heavier sands. Madagascar was the fourth largest exporter of ilmenite in the world in 2022, despite its small size.
The mining process also releases radioactive elements into the water, which then gets discharged as wastewater. There were concerns raised about QMM breaching buffer zones and encroaching onto sensitive areas.
The mining industry’s handling of tailings has led to global disasters, and QMM’s reliance on passive water treatment systems has raised concerns about the potential for harmful elements to be remobilized.
Rio Tinto denies having any tailings at QMM, referring to their tailings dam as a berm made of sand. However, there have been reports of berm failures at QMM, resulting in harmful mine waste releases. In August 2020, QMM stopped discharging its process water into the surrounding wetlands regularly. The next year, Rio Tinto published a report indicating that its natural filtration system was not functioning as expected, leading to elevated levels of aluminum and cadmium being released into the water surrounding the mine.
Following two berm failures in early 2022 due to severe weather conditions, QMM conducted a controlled water release approved by the Malagasy regulator to prevent further environmental impact. Dead fish began appearing in the lakes once again, prompting a fishing ban that sparked protests from local communities.
In response to the fish deaths, Rio Tinto commissioned a South African environmental research center to investigate the causes, with results pending. Additionally, ALT-UK enlisted aquatic ecologist Stella Swanson, who linked the fish kills to acidic water and elevated aluminum released from the QMM site.
Despite denying responsibility for the fish deaths, Rio Tinto faced comparisons to other mining sites where similar issues have occurred. The ban on fishing forced families to seek alternative income sources.
One such initiative involved a women’s weaving cooperative supported by QMM, aiming to provide financial stability to affected families. However, challenges arose due to the decline in mahampy forests, a key material for weaving, and lack of market access for the products.
Families like Zézé and Razatihanta struggled to support their children’s education and livelihoods amidst these changes. Clean water provision remained a critical concern for the community, with promises from Rio Tinto to prioritize this issue through water treatment solutions. Residents, however, noted a disparity in access to clean water in the area. According to the most recent water report by QMM, water treated in their facility is solely intended for the mine workforce and specific communities residing near the mine. QMM’s managing director, David-Alexandre Tremblay, acknowledged concerns about potential harm caused by their operations at Mandena to the quality and availability of water. As part of addressing these concerns, QMM is working on enhancing transparency and equity in water management. One initiative includes the development of a community-led water monitoring program to involve local communities in water management decisions.
Following the discovery of a buffer zone breach in 2017, ALT-UK enlisted the help of ecologist Swanson to conduct a radioactivity study, which found detectable levels of uranium in water samples from QMM’s river monitoring stations. Despite this finding, QMM denied responsibility for the elevated uranium levels, attributing them to natural geological conditions predating their operations.
Efforts are being made by QMM to bring water to lakeside villages by boat, build water treatment facilities, and provide safe water infrastructure for local residents. However, construction projects remain incomplete, with ongoing efforts to address water contamination issues that have led to protests by affected communities.
Subsequent analysis by mining expert Emerman revealed significantly higher lead and uranium concentrations downstream of the mine compared to WHO standards for drinking water. These findings point to QMM as the likely source of contamination. The presence of toxic substances like uranium and lead poses serious health risks, particularly to vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women.
Lead exposure can have severe health implications, including neurodevelopmental issues in children and adverse effects on pregnant and nursing mothers. Despite the known risks associated with mining-related contamination, safety measures are often inadequate in countries like Madagascar, where oversight and accountability may be lacking.
Local residents, like fisherman Olivier Randimbisoa and his niece Morella Razafimandimby, have reported health issues in their children due to drinking contaminated water from the lake, holding QMM accountable for the adverse effects. Doctors have been unable to identify the cause of the issue, causing the parents to become anxious.
“All we want is to be healthy,” stated Razafimandimby.
Photo: Patrick Meinhardt for The Intercept
In this region of Madagascar, where parasites and water-borne diseases are prevalent, pinpointing the cause of a child’s illness is challenging. The lack of quality healthcare facilities in the area is evident. A supposedly top-tier facility was found to be a three-room building with a leaking roof and deteriorating mattresses. Despite serving numerous nearby villages, the center only had nurses and lacked essential amenities like reliable power and adequate refrigeration.
Blood lead level testing was not publicly available for the population around the QMM mine until recently. Results from testing 58 individuals, including children, revealed elevated lead levels. Studies have shown that children with lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter are likely to experience mental impairment to some degree.
An expert toxicologist working with Leigh Day recommended continued blood lead testing for all 58 individuals tested. Additional interventions were suggested for at-risk groups, such as children and pregnant women, including clinical monitoring, more frequent testing, nutritional supplements, and specialized care. One individual with high lead levels was advised to undergo chelation therapy to eliminate pollutants from the bloodstream.
“Rio Tinto has made public commitments to safeguard water sources and respect the rights of affected communities worldwide,” said Dowling of Leigh Day. “We hope the company will honor these commitments and address our clients’ claims promptly to ensure communities no longer have to rely on contaminated water and receive necessary medical attention.”
Rio Tinto’s QMM Water Report 2021-2023 showed that water quality parameters were within limits upstream and downstream of the mine’s discharge point during the reporting period. However, an independent assessment raised concerns about data interpretation and the impact of the mine on regional water quality.
Rio Tinto also released the results of a radiation study, concluding that the mine’s contribution to radiation dose in the community was minimal and within regulatory limits. Independent assessments of the study highlighted limitations in the study design and data collection, raising concerns about potential health risks.
The Rio Tinto spokesperson mentioned that the company is open to discussing feedback on the reports with experts like Swanson but acknowledged that the meeting has not yet taken place. The company remains committed to managing radiation and water quality transparently and working with regulators and communities. “We are dedicated to effectively managing radiation at our operations and are committed to transparently collaborating with the regulator and local communities to ensure thorough monitoring.” Can you please rewrite this sentence? Please rewrite the following sentence:
Original: “The cat sat lazily in the sun, enjoying the warmth on its fur.”
Rewritten: “Basking in the sunlight, the cat lounged comfortably, savoring the gentle heat on its fur.”
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