Tia Maria is a mining project of exploitation and processing of copper open-pit,
in the province of Islay, in the region of Arequipa, Cocacharra district. It belongs
to the Mexican-American company Southern Copper Corporation (SCC) and provides the extraction of 10 thousand tons of copper daily, using the groundwater via wells that will be located in the Valley of the river Tambo. (JG, 2015)
Community opposition to the execution of the project
Since the SCC mining presented the project in 2009, protests have been generated against execution by peasant organizations since the development does not convince a part of the population of Islay. The main fear of this project is that mining could pollute the water which is used for agricultural production. Defenders of the project say that the pit of the mine will affect groundwater and waste extraction will contaminate the rea. Involvement would impact on the availability of water and therefore limit the production of rice, cane sugar and paprika (pepper or red pepper) in the Valley of the river Tambo. (JG, 2015)
Actions taken by the community
The protests began since the presentation of the project in 2009. Farmers have staged several protests in which generated clashes with the authorities, leaving until now tens of wounded by police repression. Farmers launched strikes and indefinite strikes in March 2011 and in that year alone there were three deceased persons. (JG, 2015) There is an additional reason why Islay farmers would be affected with the mining project: construction would raise the salaries of workers due to the increase in the demand for labor in the area. The costs of hiring of farmers would rise. (Melendez, 2015) The protests started from the presentation of the project in 2009. Farmers have staged several protests in which generated clashes with the authorities, leaving up to now, five dead and scores injured by police repression. Farmers launched strikes and indefinite strikes in March 2011 and in that year alone there were three deaths. There was a 48-hour strike in opposition to the approval of a study of environmental impact (SEI) in 2014 and in 2015 they started new demonstrations, of which there have been two fatalities. (JG, 2015)
International organizations that intervened in the
conflict
Through resolution directorial N 398-2010/MEM-AAM on December 01, 2010,
the MINEM requested UNOPS, the priority review of the Tia Maria mining project. Whereas that system standardized and computerized ATEREA project still was being developed, the MINEM agreed with UNOPS and UNEP to the "ad hoc" review of the environmental impact study for the project Tia Maria would take place from the end of January 2011 and handed over the first review report in March 2011, pending the issuance of a second report once the MINEM move to the holder the observations made and received the same the corresponding corrections. (UNOPS, 2011) For the review of the UNOPS environmental study and UNEP they convened a multidisciplinary high level team made up of 10 national and international experts of different disciplines (geology, mines, metallurgical engineering, hydrogeology, hydrology, ecology/biology, economics and sociology and environmental engineering). (UNOPS, 2011) The team of specialists implemented the multidisciplinary and detailed review of the SEI and report of observations within the prescribed period. The report was also reviewed by the independent UNOPS/UNEP technical Committee to ensure the quality of the contents, the fairness, the style and the consistency of the observations and recommendations made. (UNOPS, 2011) March 16, 2011, Unops submitted a report with 138 comments, indicating, inter alia, that it was not a hydrogeological study (from water and soil). A second study presented in 2014 was approved. (Melendez, 2015)