Barrick Gold Corporation is a mining company that produces gold and copper with 16 operating sites in 13 countries.
Barrick Gold’s Veladero mine has spewed millions of liters of mercury- and cyanide-contaminated water straight into the rivers that provide drinking water for communities in northern Argentina.
Since the first catastrophic spill in 2015, the residents of San José de Jáchal have been drinking bottled water. They live in fear of their children being poisoned, of their livelihoods being threatened, and the Jáchal River never recovering from the contamination.
But local community group Asamblea Jáchal No se Toca is fighting back. They are working relentlessly to convince the government to uphold the law and shut down the Veladero mine. Since it is an election year in Argentina, government officials are more likely to listen to their demands now than ever before. But they need your support.
The 2015 Veladero mine spill is considered the worst environmental mining disaster in Argentine history. But Barrick never alerted the public about what happened.
Jáchal and the other nearby communities only found out that their water was contaminated with mercury and cyanide because a concerned Veladero mine employee sent out a WhatsApp message. Barrick didn’t publicly admit that the spill happened until six days later.
The government later fined Barrick Gold US$10 million and temporarily shut down the mine. But the community and local universities have identified four more spills since then, and the company has failed to report any of them. It is clear that as long as the Veladero mine stays open, the surrounding communities will always be in danger.
Tell the government to shut down Barrick’s dangerous mine now.
Argentina’s Mining Code states that companies must cease operations after three environmental infractions. The Veladero mine is also located in a periglacial area, which is a violation of the Argentinian Law of Glaciers.
But Barrick Gold is so powerful, that national and provincial government officials have looked the other way, and let the mine continue doing business as usual. They are even thinking of letting Barrick expand the mine and extend operation for another 10 years.
If enough Ekō members like you speak out, we can help Asamblea Jáchal No se Toca create enough global public outcry about the Veladero mine’s toxic spills that Argentine government officials up for re-election this year will be forced to take action against Barrick Gold.
Some View on the World 