On August 6th, 11 years have passed since the toxic spill of copper sulfate in the Bacanuchi and Sonora rivers, caused by the Buenavista del Cobre mine, owned by Grupo México.
This disaster, considered the most serious in the country’s mining history, affected thousands of people in eight municipalities in Sonora, and to this day, it has not been repaired.
Peaceful protest in Hermosillo: memory and demand for justice
To commemorate this date, members of the Sonora River Basin Committees, along with the organization PODER, carried out a peaceful protest in the Emiliana de Zubeldía square in Hermosillo.
There, in front of the Sonora River Antimonument, a vigil in memory of the victims of pollution was held, and the lack of political and business will to remedy the damage was denounced.
Eleven years without repair: the demand of the affected communities
During the day, Fernanda Hopenhaym Cabrera, co-director of PODER, accompanied the communities and called for comprehensive and urgent remediation. Meanwhile, Martín Valenzuela, representative of the committees, read a statement summarizing the feelings of the affected populations:
“Eleven years later, we continue to drink contaminated water, without access to specialized health care or real environmental solutions. Grupo México, the state and federal governments have turned their backs on us.”
The committees denounced that there are only six water treatment plants, none with the capacity to filter heavy metals, and that the promises to build 36 plants were reduced to 22, repeating the pattern of non-compliance initiated by the Rio Sonora trust.
Dams in a contaminated river: a decision without consensus or environmental sense
One of the most critical points of the claim was the lack of transparency in planning new dams on the Sonora River.
The communities pointed out that, while pollution remains unresolved, the State prioritizes corporate economic interests over fundamental rights:
“Building dams in a contaminated river is absurd. It is a clear demonstration that the extractive model remains in force, without consultation or reparation.”
Direct call to Claudia Sheinbaum: making environmental justice a priority
The Sonora River Basin Committees asked President Claudia Sheinbaum to publicly address the case, to demonstrate Grupo México’s responsibility, and to promote concrete actions to ensure:
- Safe water free of heavy metals
- Specialized medical care for communities
- Effective and participatory environmental remediation
- Prior consultation on water projects in the basin
Postponed environmental justice: eleven years of struggle and community organization
The case of the Sonora River is a symbol of resistance against uncontrolled extractivism.
More than a decade after the spill, the communities of Ures, Arizpe, Baviácora, Aconchi, Banámichi, Cananea, Huépac, and San Felipe de Jesús remain organized, denouncing official simulation and demanding that environmental justice stop being an empty promise.
