CHILE: el desatre ambiental creado por ANTOFAGASTA MINERALS

Fighting the Mining Giant: The Case of Caimanes and Antofagasta Minerals in northern Chile

Congreso o simposio | Reino Unido - Institute of Latin American Studies, Senate House, London
18th May 2016

Date: 18th May 2016 Time: 17:30 - 19:30 Venue: Room G34, Ground Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU For almost a decade, the community of Caimanes in northern Chile has been fighting against Antofagasta Minerals, a mining giant that runs the Pelambres copper mine. Community residents claim that the company has deprived them of a vital resource and fundamental human right: water. Chile’s Supreme Court ruled out in favour of the people of Caimanes, demanding the Pelambres copper mine demolish a tailings dam reservoir, which the community blames for diverting the natural course of the Pupío estuary, drying out the Choapa River and polluting whatever little water is left.
Antofagasta Minerals, through different legal strategies refuses to comply with the Supreme Court order, and the community continues to be under social and environmental threat due to lack of water and the potential collapse of ‘El Mauro’, the largest Latin American dam situated just 8 kms from the town of Caimanes. In this event, Caimanes community leader Patricio Bustamante will describe the case and the community’s resistance to Antofagasta Minerals, a socio-environmental movement that is recognised as one of the most significant stands against mining companies in Chile. It is a clear example of a fight that involves corruption, lack of water and a threat to life.