A decade has passed since, in September 2015, the Barrick Gold spill occurred at the Veladero mine, operated by Barrick Gold and Shandong Gold, spilling 5 million liters of cyanide solution over the Jáchal River basin.
This event constituted the worst mining-environmental disaster in the history of Argentina, resulting in the contamination of at least five essential watercourses for the life of entire communities.
In collaboration with the Jáchal Assembly, and in our role as representatives of the judicial complaint from the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers-Collective for Ecosocial Justice Action, we made a public statement to demand justice for our rivers and our health.
The water of the Jáchal, the Blanco River, and its tributaries is the lifeline in a semi-arid territory, where thousands of families depend on these watercourses for human consumption, irrigation, and food production.
The contamination confirmed by the National University of Cuyo and the National Technological University, which detected the presence of arsenic, aluminum, and manganese, represents an irreversible impact on health and life throughout the region.
Since that incident, communities have been forced to buy bottled water, while the mining company continues to operate with absolute impunity.
The mining company concealed the spill, and the government of San Juan tried to downplay its severity. It was only thanks to the pressure exerted by the Assembly “Jáchal No Se Toca” and the investigations of academic centers that it was possible to confirm what happened: a gate left open allowed the cyanide to flow through the basin, contaminating rivers that, to this day, still suffer the consequences.
Veladero is located in a periglacial zone, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the Glacier Law. This is the same regulation that the mining company is currently pressuring to be eliminated, with the approval of political and judicial sectors.
The federal judicial case for the Barrick Gold spill progressed to indict national officials for violating the Glacier Law and failing to fulfill their duties. However, Judge María Servini de Cubría has emerged as a guarantor of impunity: first, she delayed the procedure for years and then ruled the case expired, citing the same delays she had allowed.
This is a true pact of silence between political power, justice, and mega-mining.
Since 2015, five other spills have been reported at Veladero, which have been systematically covered up by the provincial government and the company. Meanwhile, Barrick and Shandong continue extracting gold and generating environmental liabilities in a province where the population lives in fear of turning on the tap.
From the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers (AAdeAA) – Collective for Ecosocial Justice Action (CAJE), we demand:
- The definitive closure of Veladero.
- The comprehensive environmental remediation of the Jáchal basin and all affected watercourses.
- The prosecution and punishment of political and corporate responsible parties.
- The strict enforcement of the Glacier Law and the protection of water as a human right.
Mega-mining is not synonymous with development: it implies contamination, corruption, and the sacrifice of territories. We stated it ten years ago, and we repeat it today: there is no region on the planet that has achieved a dignified future through mega-mining.
Source: Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers
