Lima  - Extreme environmental damage caused by mining has prompted the residents in the Peruvian city of Carro Pasco to move the entire town.

The move was approved in a meeting of residents, national media reported Wednesday. The city is the provincial capital and is located at 4,348 metres, making it one of the highest as well as one of the dirtiest cities in the world.

Residents in Carro Pasco, about 400 kilometres east of Lima, suffer from extremely high levels of lead in their blood as a result of open-cast mining of lead, zinc and other metals. The community's children suffer from skin diseases, problems with bone formation and weaknesses in their sight and mental development.

The mine run by a Mexican firm has also encroached into the city's territory. About 50 per cent of the city founded in 1578 has already been lost.

The residents plan to move the city 35 kilometres away to a new site over the next 10 to 15 years, said Yomar Melendez of Pasco's regional government. It is unclear who will pay for the move, estimated to cost 500 million dollars, Melendez said. (dpa)