Diamonds: Are They Worth It?

To many people, diamonds are precious, beautiful, and glittery. They represent glamour, love, and trust. However, in most African nations where they are mostly obtained from, they connote a different, darker meaning. In the recent past, it has been evident that the many civil wars that have been witnessed in many African nations are as a result of the trade in diamonds. The mineral is one of the most valuable on the globe. In 2000, the cost of one a carat of diamond was seventy-one dollars or three hundred and twenty-two dollars per a kilo. This is an indicator of the economic wealth associated with the sale of diamonds. However, most of the countries that have diamond in abundance are the poorest and face civil wars. As such, diamonds do not deserve the credit they are given as mining them negatively impacts the environment and threatens wildlife and the health of miners. Diamond companies control the supply to yield higher profits fuelling the issue of blood diamonds stemming from terrible working conditions, unfair wages, war, and child soldiers. 

Environmental Effects of Diamond Mining 

Diamond mining has a detrimental effect to the environment, which in turn is a threat to human and wildlife survival. Various studies have revealed that many water bodies close to diamond mines are mostly polluted, and lead to the death of wildlife, including aquatic animals ( Edwards, Sloan, Weng, Dirks, Sayer, & Laurance, 2014). Diamond mining companies are believed to dispose of 180 million tons of toxic wastes into oceans, lakes, and rivers every year, over one and a half times the waste that the United States of America’s cities take to landfills every year. Such toxins are carried in fish, birds, and other organisms, and ultimately follow the food chain to individuals in the neighboring places. Moreover, diamond mining practices leads to soil erosion, which has detrimental effects on agriculture because soil nutrients that are present on the topsoil are washed away ( Edwards, Sloan, Weng, Dirks, Sayer, & Laurance, 2014). Such endeavors may even make some regions permanently non-arable. 

Additionally, diamond mining leads to land modification. Basically, mines are deep holes dug on the ground. As a result, much of the earth is displaced due to excavation. This causes large-scale soil erosion, which is detrimental to the local biodiversity ( Pulfrich & Branch, 2014). Additionally, the destruction resulting from the mines on the land surface as a result of the consequent soil erosion and river and streambed sedimentation becomes more detrimental as a result of the rock residues not having an economic value, which normally form huge mounds, at times larger than the place given over to excavation. The loose dirt heaps cannot sustain any vegetation and usually cause mudslides and prevent plants from growing. Such dirt is also prone to “sediment” slides as a result of the exposure of the environment. For instance, in Sierra Leone, Kono, a diamond mining site, has experienced total loss of rich arable soil and farming fields to debris from mining ( Pulfrich & Branch, 2014). Consequently, cultivating food crops is a problem in the region. 

Furthermore, diamond mining negatively affects wildlife in the surrounding areas. As noted earlier, the loss of natural habitats displaces animals from such places ( Wilson, 2013). Activities, including loud drilling and explosives scare away wildlife. Moreover, as the mines continue to expand, deforestation continues to grow. Therefore, the animals are denied the opportunity to remain in their usual habitats, causing them to relocate to foreign ones, which leads to a ripple effect throughout the land. Deforestation affects creatures, animals, and birds that rely on plants and trees as a source of food and shelter ( Wilson, 2013). Such animals lose their homes and may starve to death, and the survivors are compelled to move away to get new habitats. 

Effects of Diamond Mining on the Miners and the Exploitation by Mining Companies 

Often, people focus on the adverse effects of diamond mining related to the environment. However, such an activity poses great risks to the miners as well ( Masvaure, Ruggunan, & Maharaj, 2014). Many companies involved in diamond mining have been blamed for being ignorant of the safety of their employees and paying them little despite the hard work that they perform. In their work, employees are mostly exposed to dangerous chemicals, which make them prone to chronic diseases. For instance, such laborers inhale dust that emanates from the drilling and blasting activities. As people keep inhaling such dust, they may suffer a lung disease called pneumoconiosis, which may worsen and lead to fibrosis. Moreover, such people are exposed to radon and mercury, which are some of the elements found in such environments. Mercury is mostly associated with nausea, migraines, mouth ulcers, running stomach, cardiac ailments, bleeding gums, and poisoning cases ( Masvaure, Ruggunan, & Maharaj, 2014). Additionally, radon causes lung cancer. 

Furthermore, the conditions under which diamond miners work are unsafe and unsanitary. Such workers are prone to death since the explosives that are used in the process of diamond mining may lead to the workers being fallen over by debris. The workers are also involved in carrying heavy loads, which expose them to back injuries ( Van Bockstael, 2014). Moreover, since most of them do not wear protective equipment, they are prone to ear-drum puncture, permanent hearing loss, or speech interference. To make matters worse, diamond miners are paid meager wages. For instance, in African diamond mines, workers are paid below a dollar per day. Such wages are not only insufficient to meet their basic needs, but also meet the medical costs that they incur as a result of being exposed to the negative effects in the mines. In such places, child mortality and illiteracy rates are high. People in such areas are also rampantly involved in sex trade, which makes them prone to HIV/AIDS infection and other sexually transmitted diseases ( Van Bockstael, 2014). This reiterates how such individuals are exploited and denied a better future. 

Moreover, what is more disturbing is the fact that mining companies do not mind hiring under-age children to work in their mines although they are aware that such children are increasingly prone to accidents and injuries. In the diamond mining corporations, child labor is a common phenomenon ( Kotsadam & Tolonen, 2016). The mean age of children who work in diamond mines start usually at approximately the age of twelve, and they may be forced to work up to sixteen hours per day. Most of them suffer from blisters and hurt finger-tips and other detrimental diseases, including malaria, migraines, headache, and malnutrition. Recent reports regarding this issue reveal that thousands of kids are employed in diamond mines in countries like Liberia. Some of them do the work to support their families, while others are orphans who are forced to work there. Such children do not mind dropping out of school to work in such mines due to poverty and poor living conditions. Consequently, the poverty cycle continues to exist irrespective of the truth that diamond mining accrues to high profits. As such, the fact is that the only beneficiaries of such profits are the mining companies, majority of which emanate from the Western developed countries. The minors and the nations that possess the diamonds do not benefit much from this valuable resource ( Kotsadam & Tolonen, 2016). These individuals are not offered opportunities to safe working environment and adequate pay. 

Furthermore, the conditions under which the minors work are pathetic and slave-like. In conjunction to that, the children who work in diamond mines are used to fight in the wars that emanate from the blood diamonds without a choice. This has led to the use of children as soldiers, which has caused the death of many of them in the war-torn countries involving blood diamond. Terrorist groups, such as Al Qaeda, have been associated with the exchange of blood diamond. The group buys and trades in diamond in Liberia off the radar ( D'Angelo, 2014). Consequently, the group obtains money that it uses to buy weapons. 

Additionally, diamond miners are compelled to work longer, hence they are overworked yet they are underpaid. They do not enjoy work-life balance since they do not find time to be with their families and do not engage in any recreational endeavors since their lives only revolve around diamond mining ( Hall, 2013). Racism also is still an issue in such mines. It is reported that companies that are involved in the mining of diamond pay lower wages to Blacks and treat them more cruelly compared to their White counterparts. This presents an advantage to such companies since they reduce the expenses that they incur, but it is a problem to the diamond mining employees ( Hall, 2013). In Angola, for instance, poor miners obtain a living from the search for diamonds using shovels in illegal mines. Such miners work from dawn to dusk, and in many cases, they do not obtain anything from the mines. The existing conditions are unforgivable and harsh since there is no government permits offered to control the safety of such mines. Miners and even their households report that they are often shaken down for bribes and clobbered by private security officers and soldiers. In some cases, such miners are killed as a result of the blood diamonds. The government of Angola is cruel when removing the miners from the illegal mines. In an interview, a woman whose two sons were murdered in the country’s diamond mines said that the country’s solders descended on a mine to keep off miners. When some of them became adamant to leave the mine, the soldiers caved in the mine, burying approximately forty-five men, including her son aged twenty-one ( Hall, 2013). They told onlookers that the incident was to serve as a lesson to others who may be planning to go to the mines again. 

Effects of Diamond Mining on People Living Near Mines 

Diamond mining does not only affect the environment and the miners, but also people who live near such mines. For instance, diamond mining leads to dumping of wastes into water bodies. Consequently, such practices may lead to the poisoning of aquatic life ( Nelson, 2013). The poisonous substances emanating from the mining activities may kill aquatic animals, such as fish, in water bodies. Such animals may be the livelihood of people living in such an area, and they may have lost a source of income and food. Moreover, mining activities leads to disruption of the ecosystem, leading to the migration of animals from one point to another due to deforestation. The movement of such animals from one place to another is likely to cause a negative impact to the locals. For instance, if wild animals were living in a given geographical location, and a mining company starts mining diamond in that vicinity, they would move to another place. Assuming that such animals were a tourist attraction, the locals would have lost a source of income, and their lives would never be the same again. Crops are also exposed to detrimental chemicals that may cause them to wilt and die ( Nelson, 2013). Consequently, the migration of animals and the death of plants expose people to hunger since there would be limited supply of food. 

Similarly, it has to be noted that most of the corporations that possess rich and big diamond mines have underdeveloped communities. It is saddening that in such communities, hospitals, schools, and other amenities are less developed. Even governments in diamond-rich countries have not focused on infrastructural development although diamond mining contributes a larger share to their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ( Beevers, 2015). Moreover, just like in the case of miners, mining of diamond exposes residents of such areas to toxic chemicals, which makes them prone to infections and other diseases. What makes matters worse is the fact that health facilities in such areas are understaffed and lack medicines and other healthcare equipment. The individuals are also prone to diseases such as influenza, malaria, and dengue as a result of the stagnant water that is available in open pit mines that the diamond mining industries leave behind after depleting diamond reserves. In fact, some families are compelled to relocate to new places to avoid inhaling dust and other chemicals from such mines. This disturbs their lives in a major way ( Beevers, 2015). If such people were working in other industries, they would be rendered jobless. 

However, despite the many negative effects of diamond mining, there are various positive economic and developmental effects that are associated with its availability in a given country. In this regard, the focus would be on South Africa’s diamond mining industry. In the country, diamond mining has had a tremendous economic impact since it provides a lot of finances to the country’s economy ( Murombo, 2013). Diamond is produced in more than twenty-five nations, but the country produces approximately 49% of the diamond supplied across the world. It is the fourth largest diamond producer in the globe. With such a great stake in the sale of diamond, South Africa has recorded positive effects on its economy. Today, De Beers owns and controls most of the mines in the country, which produce almost a half the world’s yearly output of diamond. The company also manages approximately 80% of diamond sales, meaning that they can reduce its availability and increase its prices. As such, the country receives a lot of money from diamond. Specifically, it accounts for 18% of the country’s yearly GDP. Consequently, it enables improved conditions of living and opportunities, including increased technological advancement and better housing. For example, Kimberly was the first town in the whole of Northern Hemisphere to set up street lights in the entire town ( Murombo, 2013). Mining of diamond in South Africa greatly impacts its economy, and presently it is positive and sustainable. 

Additionally, diamond mining leads to increased populations in a given area, which increases the demand for goods and services. For instance, the mineral revolution of diamond began in South Africa’ town called Kimberly in 1867 ( Hilson & McQuilken, 2014). As a result, there was a huge influx of prospectors relocating into Kimberly, increasing its population drastically. The town’s population increased so quickly such that by 1853, it was the largest town in the continent with a population of forty thousand inhabitants. This brought a positive impact on shop owners in the town. Even at present, Kimberly is densely populated and still shop-owners enjoy the positive effects of such a phenomenon. Most of them enjoy the increased demand for their products, necessitated by the increased number of inhabitants. Consequently, more finances go into the town’s economy, which is sustainable since the money is used to improve the entire country. This has been proven to be the case since the country’s annual GDP increased from four hundred and fifteen in 1820 to four thousand seven hundred and ninety-three in 2008. This also led to a 6.08% increase in the country’s GDP between 1961 and 1969 ( Hilson & McQuilken, 2014). This reiterates the role diamond mining plays in the country’s economy. 

Similarly, diamond mining creates employment opportunities for people from other countries. For instance, in South Africa, primarily, labor is from other African countries. Young men from other States come to the country for the summer and offer labor in the mines ( Maconachie & Binns, 2007). The South African laborers in its mines in 1987 was composed of four hundred and seventy-seven thousands of immigrant employees, and by the year 2006, the population of immigrant workers in the country’s diamond mines increased to a whooping total of two hundred and sixty thousands. This population presents a pertinent effect on the country’s economy since such people need to spend their earnings on their living necessities. However, since some of the workers emanate from the neighboring countries, some of the earnings are sent to the workers’ families who live in their countries of origin. Consequently, they do not spend all of their earnings in South Africa. This would have a negative effect on the economy if large amounts of money are sent to such States since the towns where such employees stay would record low demand for goods and services, leading to the closure of some shops ( Maconachie & Binns, 2007). Although De Beers plays a role in sustaining the country’s economy by offering loans to small enterprises between the years 2009 and 2012, creating over one thousand, two hundred jobs, the shops close down due to the long-term effects of people being paid low wages and not buying products from such shops. Consequently, it is evident that the failure of the shops is not directly related to diamond mining. Moreover, since the mine workers are not permanently employed and do not stay in the mining sites, they cannot be deemed to be a reliable source of manpower since they are bound to leave the mines at their will and that may negatively affect the mine because it may be compelled to close down. Over 73% of the employees in South Africa work on temporary basis ( Maconachie & Binns, 2007). Generally; however, the mineral revolution and diamond mining in South Africa is sustainable and has led to many positive impacts on the individuals living in the areas where mining takes place. 

Moreover, De Beers and Ponahalo (the company’s empowerment shareholder) play a major role in uplifting communities in South Africa, and also improving the economy of the local Free State province via the activities of its mine called Voorspoed, which is located thirty kilometers North-East of Kroonstad ( Murombo, 2013). The mine was launched in 2008, and the first quarter statistics for the year 2010 revealed that a total of three hundred and five workers were employed in the mine, with 52% of them being from the neighboring Fezile Dabi area ( Murombo, 2013). The company’s General Manager in Voorspoed adds that the mine’s employees comprise of approximately 86% historically disadvantaged South Africans ( Murombo, 2013). The mine was anticipated to attain maximum production capacity by the year 2011and then employ approximately four hundred and twenty people. 

Furthermore, in addition to the potential of the mine to uplift individuals in the community, women comprise of slightly below 50% of the mine’s workforce. Its workforce that possesses technical skills comprises of approximately 26% of women ( Murombo, 2013). The mine also employs people with disabilities, with close to 1.9% of its workforce accounting for disabled workers. As a result, the mine has created the Disability Employment Equity program. Apart from assisting people with disabilities, the mine extensively uses local services in the Fezile Dabi locality and the entire province of Free State. In its work, it uses local suppliers in its non-core activities, which accounts for approximately 22% of the company’s expenses, with 50% of that meant for regional black economic empowerment ( Murombo, 2013). Some of the services that the company outsources from the community are garden maintenance and landscaping, noncore security, events management and catering, general office cleaning, building maintenance, rehabilitation of stripped topsoil, small and civil work, and transportation of staff. 

Additionally, Voorspoed is presently taking part in establishing the Ngwathe multipurpose multi-purpose paving and brick manufacturing facility, which is estimated to cost R 3.7 million, to assist local entrepreneurs. The enterprise has also created a business support center in Moqhaka, which cost approximately R 1.2 million, to assist local entrepreneurs ( Murombo, 2013). It also supports twenty-five schools and thirty-nine teachers in Science and Mathematics for grade twelve learners. 

At the global level, diamonds are estimated to create jobs for more than ten million individuals across the world. At a retail level, diamonds are believed to generate annual revenues of approximately 70 billion US dollars ( Murombo, 2013). This aids in the payment of salaries of nearly ten million workers all over the globe, in virtually all the countries in the planet. The figures encompass both direct employment; including retailers, jewelry manufacturers, cutters, and miners; and also several secondary market suppliers, including technology, security, equipment and tools of all types, and others. Some of the planet’s poorest nations have accessed the most jobs. In most sub-Saharan Africa nations, diamond revenues can account for about half of the nation’s national income, and can create employment opportunities to hundreds of thousands of the citizens ( Murombo, 2013). For instance, in India, the diamond manufacturing and trading industry offers jobs to more than one million citizens of the country. The country’s city of Surat alone employs some six hundred thousand individuals in the diamonds industry ( Murombo, 2013). This reiterates the important role that the diamonds play in creating revenues to the various countries that participate in its trading and manufacturing activities ( Murombo, 2013). Moreover, it highlights how diamonds help nations to offer employment opportunities to their citizens, which is important in elevating their living standards. 

In conclusion, diamond mining has various negative effects. First, it affects the environment, which a source of food and shelter for both humans and wildlife. The toxic wastes that the diamond mining companies dump into the environment are detrimental to the lives of animals and people. Moreover, the holes that are dug during the excavation of diamond lead to soil erosion and also become breeding sites mosquitos, which cause some ailments, including malaria. Similarly, people who work in the mines are exposed to dangerous substances that are dangerous to their health. They work in surroundings that are unsanitary and unhealthy. Most of them do not even wear protective gear. To make matters worse, they are paid low wages by the mining companies. Such companies go as far as using under-age children in the mining of diamond. Exploitation of children extends as far as using them as soldiers, especially in the war-torn regions where the sale of blood diamond is a common phenomenon. However, diamond mining is great source of income to some countries. It has led to economic growth, contributing substantially to the GDP of such nations. 

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