peru: turning water into copper
labor/foe
peru
Asana river area, where
the open pit mine is planned.
The mountains of southern Peru consist
of little more than sand and rock, except
for the green oases where farmers have
toiled to grow crops. Here, in one of the
driest regions in the world, Minera
Quellaveco plans to mine for copper - and
use 700 liters of water per second, divert
a river, dispose of the waste in an
unprotected riverbed, and create a highly
acidic pit lake.
Minera Quellaveco is a joint venture of
Anglo American (80 percent) and the World
Bank’s International Finance Corporation
(IFC). The mining company and the Peruvian
government claim that the mine will have
hardly any negative impacts. However,
scientific environmental analyses have
found otherwise, and it is clear that many
of the impacts will be related to the
area’s water. Due to water conflicts that
have already arisen, coupled with low
copper prices, the IFC put the project “on
hold” in late 2002.
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Locals are most concerned about the use
of groundwater. Chilota, one of the sources
from which the mine plans to extract water,
is a beautiful wetland full of birds and
butterflies. The alpacas and lamas that
graze here provide many communities with
subsistence incomes. The use of Chilota
groundwater will lower the area’s water
level and change the micro-climate. Farmers
say their land will be useless if Minera
Quellaveco extracts water from Chilota, and
many have declared their refusal to sell
their land at the low prices offered by the
company.
In Tala, five kilometers from the
planned mine site, a small community has
managed to turn a steep hill into a
beautiful and productive agricultural area.
The community’s dream of converting to
organic farming will be destroyed with the
coming of the mine, which threatens to
blanket their fields with toxic dust.
Furthermore, the planned diversion of the
nearby Asana River into a small riverbed
running through Tala will flood their
productive lands.
Local people, working within these harsh
surroundings for centuries, have created a
delicate balance between water supply and
demand. The proponents of the Quellaveco
mine, in their quest for copper profits,
will upset this balance, and more than
likely disrupt social cohesion in the area
as well. The mine could also interfere with
the long-awaited Pastogrande irrigation
project, which would increase land for
cultivation and improve the drinking water
supply for nearby cities. Community
members, NGOs, government officials and
industry representatives plan to hash out
these issues together, and the local people
hope that this will put an end to the
potential dangers of the mine.
FoEI believes that risky and harmful
projects like the Quellaveco mine should
not receive financial support from the
World Bank Group. This funding is meant to
contribute to sustainable development,
which is not likely to be generated by
mining operations.
more information:
Labor/FoE Peru:
www.labor.org.pe
(español)
FoEI:
www.foei.org/worldbank/cases.html
Project Underground:
www.moles.org
