Mining in Peru - Río Rímac and Lima's drinking water at risk
The increasing demand for critical raw materials such as copper is also leading to an expansion and intensification of mining activities in Latin America. This can be clearly seen in Peru in the realization of new mega-mining projects by international corporations and an investment-friendly policy that increasingly deregulates the sector. On the other hand, this intensifies the resulting consequences such as water pollution (e.g. by heavy metals such as arsenic in drinking water), repression of environmental activists and serious human rights violations, etc.
Two representatives of our Peruvian partner organisations are guests. They will explain the problem on the ground using the example of the Río Rímac (main drinking water inflow for the 10-million-metropolis of Lima) and will present the 25-minute documentary ‘Mining: Threat to Lima’s rivers’ and recent studies on the subject. We discuss with them the strategies for action on the ground. These include, for example, legal actions in Peru against planned mining projects (Ariana), community-based environmental monitoring, public relations and international complaints procedures. With representatives of Powershift e.V. and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, we make reference to the topic of water resources and public participation in the raw materials policy of the EU and take a look at the possibilities of municipal water monitoring in an international context.
Speakers:
Paul Maquet (Cooperación, Peru)
Edwin Alejandro Berrospi (Red Muqui, Peru)
Maja Wilke (PowerShift e.V.)
Johanna Sydow (Heinrich Böll Foundation)
Organiser: Campaign Mining Peru - Wealth Goes, Poverty Remains
Cooperation partners: Misereor, PowerShift e.V., Heinrich Böll Foundation
The event will be held in Spanish/German (with translation).
