Mining activities at Guinea’s Simandou iron ore megaproject are polluting waterways and degrading agricultural land, according to community representatives and advocates who spoke at a recent press briefing. Their concerns were supported by a study of water and soil samples from seven towns downstream of the mine. The study, conducted in February by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Ghana, showed dangerously high acidity in the town of Badoula, near the mine. The study notes that the contamination is “clearly linked to anthropogenic pollution, particularly from ongoing mining activities in the Simandou Mountains.” In another town, dissolved solids in the water sample were said to be too high to cultivate rice. Export of Simandou’s iron ore has been an elusive government goal for decades. The ore is finally set to reach export markets by the end of this year; the deposits are expected to produce upward of 120 million tons of ore per year. The project’s four development blocks are owned by two consortia, which include the British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, a number of Chinese and East Asian companies and the Guinea government. China has taken a particular interest in Simandou, which is estimated to contain as much as 1.5 billion metric tons of ore. The mine is projected to erode Australia’s dominant position in global iron ore export markets. Simandou’s high-quality iron ore can be refined using “green” hydrogen-based steelmaking techniques, which will produce far fewer carbon emissions. However, in addition to polluting water and soil,…This article was originally published on Mongabay