The Liqi River in Tibet and Western China flows through a picturesque valley that is a sacred spot Tibetans. There is, however, one big problem: the water is poisoned, thanks to extensive lithium mining.

Local Tibetans told The Washington Post that the Liqi River is now devoid of fish. Many yaks have died too after drinking the river’s water.

“God is in the mountains and the rivers, these are the places that spirits live. When mining comes and the grassland is dug up, people believe worse disasters will come. It destroys the mountain god,” an environmentalist from the area told WaPo on condition of anonymity.

The mining in the area started in 2009. Toxins leaked into the river and killed livestock and fish. In 2013, protests by locals forced the government to stop mining. But this year, it started again in April.

“The officials said they have to have the mine but promised they would take time to fix the pollution problem before reopening it,” a local said. However, instead of official promise, local protest in May solved the problem. The authorities promised to not restart the mining until the environmental issues were solved.

The problem of environmental pollution from mineral extraction is not limited Sichuan province. Protests over mining have erupted regularly in the Tibetans region of China according to the 2015 report of Tibetan Watch.