As Chile continues to face heavy rains that have isolated several areas and affected thousands of homes, one community is dealing with the rupture of a mine tailings dam that has contaminated the area with heavy metals, also affecting nearby water supplies.
Risk to drinking water from mining tailings
The tailings dam, owned by the Las Cenizas copper copper mining company Las Cenizas located in central Chile, began to overflow on the night of June 13 due to heavy rains. This overflow reached the La Ligua river, which represents an “imminent risk” for the water sources and their use in the region, according to a of the Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente (SMA). .
The overflow has generated great concern among residents of Cabildo, an agricultural area known for its avocado production. Residents have expressed their concerns in meetings with government officials and representatives of the mining company, who are working to rebuild the retaining wall that overflowed last week.“No one would like to live with a tailings dam behind them,” said the mayor of Cabildo, Víctor Donoso.
Impact on agriculture and housing
The farming community of Cabildo fears that the overflow of the tailings dam will jeopardize their livelihoods. Chile, being the largest copper copper producer in the world world’s largest copper producer, has significant avocado production in this region. Residents are concerned about how the overflow will affect their crops and homes.
Las Cenizas has acknowledged errors in its management and has committed to take corrective actions. The company’s operations manager stated,“We recognize certain mistakes in our management, but let’s all step forward together“.
The mayor of Cabildo, Víctor Donoso, has filed a formal complaint with the Environmental Superintendency to assess the impact of the overflow on agriculture, housing, and water sources. to assess the impact of the overflow on agriculture, housing and water sources. “Tailings bring heavy metals, such as lead, arsenic and many others. This is irreversible, I will not be able to use it anymore.“José Olmos, a local farmer affected by the dam overflow, lamented.
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Source: redimin
Photo: Linkedin
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