In Chile’s dry north, big mining threatens a vital resource

Pascua-Lama is just one of six mega-mining projects in the area covered by Chile’s bi-national mining treaty, all of which make similar demands on a shrinking and vulnerable water resource. The treaty, signed in 1997, and heavily lobbied for by some of the world’s most powerful corporations, permits the free-flow of goods and personnel across the mountainous border between Chile and Argentina.
In effect, the agreement allows mining companies to control vast swaths of the continental divide, opening the door for more mega projects like Pascua-Lama in the fragile alpine environment. Local activists have also made this treaty a point of contention, calling for its repeal.
The impact from Pascua-Lama alone is huge: Every day, the mine will suck up 9 million gallons of water from the Valle del Huasco while pulverising mountaintops with up to 38 tons of explosives. Finally, the piles of crushed ore will be drenched with 27 tons of cyanide to extract the gold.
http://santiagotimes.cl/year-in-review-chiles-dry-north-big-mining-threatens-vital-resource/