Description: A gold, silver and copper mining pit project is planned on the border of Chile and Argentina. 75% of the deposit is in the Huasco province of Chile, and 25% in the San Juan province of Argentina. The project plans to implant facilities between 3 000 and 5 200 metres, affecting three vital glaciers, source of rivers supplying farming activities in low lands as well as the city of Vallenar of more than 40 000 inhabitants in the Atacama desert. Extraction operations call for huge investment and large-scale technological devices, making their potential impact on the environment a concern for the region. The company is planning to cut out and transfer nearly one million tonnes of ice, and industrial water consumption estimates are as high as 400 l/s, which will result in a major drop in water resources for downhill regions. More than 200 million tonnes of mining waste will be stored close to river springs that risk being contaminated with cyanide and heavy metals. In addition, intense industrial traffof hazardous material (cyanide, mercury, explosives) and related risks will emerge from the industry. Dramatic impacts on an already fragile arid ecosystem due to glacier retreat, along with illegal land expropriation processes towards indigenous people (the Daguitas) have brought local communities to react on each side of the border. Despite recent (early June 2006) approval by the Chilean National Environment Commission (CONAMA), campaigners say they will file further lawsuits. They will also pursue existing lawsuits filed by indigenous rights groups who contest the company’s ownership of the property..
Published in: "Gold Prices On The Rise, Environment Under Pressure", Environment Alert Bulletins, Nov. 2006
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