Villa Brazil (also Villa Brasil) is a ''

garimpeiros Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...

'' (illegal gold prospectors) village in the

Boven Saramacca Boven Saramacca is a resort in Suriname, located in the Sipaliwini District. Its population at the 2012 census was 1,427. The dominant geographical feature of this resort is the Saramacca River. The resort is mainly inhabited by Maroons of the Ma ...

resort of the

Sipaliwini District Sipaliwini is the largest district of Suriname, located in the south. Sipaliwini is the only district that does not have a regional capital, as it is directly administered by the national government in Paramaribo. History Sipaliwini was created i ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

Overview

Gold was discovered in the Rosebel area in 1879. More than century after, in 2004, a commercial exploitation started at the Rosebel Gold Mines. Illegal gold miners started to exploit the Matawai area near

Nieuw Jacobkondre Nieuw Jacobkondre (also Njoeng Jacob Kondre or just Jacobkondre) is a town in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. It is situated on the Saramacca River. The village is inhabited by Matawai people. Overview The village of Jacobkondre was founded ...

. Villa Brazil was founded illegally by Brazilian gold miners, and contains dwellings for the gold miners and several commercial shops. The village has become known as an area with a high rate of crime. Complaints of the nearby villagers who had rely on a police station in Kwakoegron have resulted the establishment of a police station in Nieuw Jacobkondre in 2014. Concerning

morbidity A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

is prevalent in the village. In late 2020, Villa Brazil was at the centre of a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

outbreak.

Mining

The gold mining is performed by building of

sluice box Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed (alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit (also called open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment. Placer mining is frequently used for p ...

es.

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

is poured over the dirt with bare hands. The method leaves much gold undetected, and therefore some miners are using

metal detectors A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...

. The mercury pollution in the area is both an environment problem, and a health hazard. Most of the gold gets transported to the North of

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

where the gold buyers are located. In 2021, a badge system was introduced, which requires gold miners to be registered, and gold buyers to track the source of the gold.

References

Bibliography

* {{Surinamese District Sipaliwini Populated places in Sipaliwini District Squatting in Suriname Gold mines in Suriname

Overview

Mining

See also

References

Bibliography