New Peruvian president to deal with dozens of mining-related conflicts
Over 64% of the 191 social conflicts registered in recent months in Peru are linked to social and environmental concerns related to mining operations, the most updated figures released by the Ombudsman Office show.
This is the reality that the new president of the Andean
country will have to deal with. According to local media, this is particularly
the case in the southern regions of Cusco, Puno, Apurímac, Moquegua, Arequipa y
Tacna, which concentrated 30% of the social unrest.
One of the main issues relates to the Southern Mining
Runway, which goes through the southeastern Cusco department, the south-central
Apurímac department and reaches the southwestern Arequipa department all the
way to the Matarani-Arequipa port, where products are shipped to Asia. The road
is used to transport concentrate from MMG’s Las Bambas copper mine, Hudbay
Minerals’ Constancia copper mine and Glencore-controlled Antapaccay copper
mine.
For years now, communities along the corridor have
complained about pollution caused by mining trucks and demand compensation from
the companies making use of the way.
One of the most recent conflicts was launched by the
Livitaca community, in the Chumbivilcas province, who are asking Hudbay to
update a 2016 agreement so that the miner gives back to the community about
$64.6 million per year, instead of the current $905,000. Negotiations between
the miner, authorities and the community are ongoing.
Hudbay (TSX, NYSE: HBM) is also dealing with the United
Front to Defend the Interests of the Chumbivilcas Province, who are asking the
company to annul the most recent update to the Constancia mine’s environmental
impact assessment.
Glencore (LON: GLEN) has also had to deal with uprisings
related to its Peruvian operations. Technical meetings have been taking place
since local communities blocked the roads back in March, demanding previous
consultation before the Antapaccay Tintaya expansion project and integration
with Coroccohuayco goes ahead. They are also asking for compensation for
environmental and social damages.
Another ongoing conflict is the one launched by the farming
community of Fuerabamba, also in the Chumbivilcas province, who are arguing
against the reclassification of the road that crosses the Yavi Yavi farm as a
national roadway.
According to social activists in Fuerabamba, MMG’s Las
Bambas built this road without asking permission from the community and even
though some accords have been signed, there are still some loose ends so
negotiations are ongoing.
In the southwestern Arequipa region, the construction of
Southern Copper’s (NYSE: SCCO) Tía María mine caused unrest among the people in
the Tambo Valley community, who say the operation will pollute the environment
and have negative impacts on their farmland.
Consulted by La República newspaper, Arequipa’s Ombudsman,
Ángel María Manrique, said he expects some protests to arise in the Tambo
Valley, following the presidential election.
In the same region, the Zafranal copper-gold project, 80%
owned by Teck Resources and 20% by Mitsubishi, is also facing some community
opposition, as is Fortuna Silver Mines’ Caylloma silver, gold, zinc, lead
project.
Also in the Tambo Valley, a technical negotiation table had
to be recently installed after people from the Santiago de Pachas community
blocked the Southern Pan American roadway, protesting water pollution caused by
the Florencia Tucari mine.
Florencia Tucari, owned by local company Aruntani, is in the
process of being shut down but its tailings are said to be polluting the
Coralaque river, which runs from the southeastern Moquegua department all the
way to the Tambo Valley.
Although the conflict dates back to 2017, it was recently
relaunched and, thus, government intervention was needed to deal with people’s
demands.
Other long-standing struggles are boiling back to the
surface, with people in the southeastern Puno department protesting pollution
in the Ramis, Coata, Llallimayo and Suches rivers, attributed to both formal
and informal mining operations.
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