The case centres on the apparent deterioration of the Monturaqui-Negrillar-Tilopozo aquifer, an important source of ground water, because of the high pace of extraction to support mining operations in the area.
The government agency argues that the mines named in the suit have breached environmental protection, preservation, and conservation rules.
“The Monturaqui-Negrillar-Tilopozo aquifer has been exploited for decades by Zaldívar in the Negrillar sector; Albemarle in the Tilopozo area and Escondida in Monturaqui,” the suit reads.
Escondida would have extracted 1,400 liters of ground water per second until 2019; Zaldívar, 212.75 lps projected until 2025 (with an authorized flow rate of 500 liters per second) and Albemarle, 16.9 lps until 2041, according to the suit.
“The extraction of various amounts of water by the sued mining companies would have caused damage that was foreseeable, since they were aware of the maximum…
