Chile: Codelco Andina accused of negligence

The rains in April are not the only factor to have wreaked havoc on fruit-growing sector in the province of Los Andes. Last Sunday, Codelco Andina's Division had a new environmental incident (according to the company) after the rupture of a channel carrying tailings from the aforementioned division to the Tranque Ovejería; an incident that the farmers say was caused by negligence. 

Farmers are restless as this is not the first incident involving Codelco Andina's Division; on February 25 the company spilled some copper concentrate in the Blanco and Aconcagua rivers. 

"We are extremely concerned by the negligence of Codelco Andina because they have repeatedly damaged our business and heritage, negatively affecting the decades long effort that our country has invested in building an image for our fruit at the international level," said Victor Catan, president of the Farmers Association of Santa Rosa de Los Andes, through a statement.

Codelco Chile's Communication Department stated that the structures had been damaged by the mudslides caused by the bad weather front that hit the central part of the country and that they had "made the mistake of sending the tailing down the channel to the Tranque Ovejería, without having inspected it, given the prevailing adverse weather conditions."

Such a statement raises questions among growers. "We are surprised that the world's largest copper producing mining company does not have the infrastructure and adequate personnel to work with hazardous materials in situations like this one," said Victor Catan, who compared this neglect with what happened during the weekend in Santiago, after the Mapocho river overflowed because of the works carried out by Costanera Norte.

The Farmers' Association of the province is getting information to estimate the risks and damage that this incident caused on people's health, the water and the soil used for the production of species.

More information:

Angelica M. Godoy V.

Secretary