The Candelaria mine is a large open pit and underground copper-gold mine located in northern Chile in the Atacama Region. Candelaria has Proven and Probable Reserves of 676 million tonnes of ore grading 0.53% copper, 0.13 g/t gold, and 1.79 g/t silver; containing 3.58 million tonnes of copper, 3.0 million oz of gold and 39 million oz of silver.[2] The mine project incorporates a reverse osmosis plant at the port of Caldera, commissioned in 2013, with a capacity to produce 500 litres per second of desalinated industrial water, piping it 115 km from the Pacific Ocean to the minesite.[3][4]
On June 12 2019, people in Villa Estadio, a nearby community, raised safety concerns, especially for children and older adults. According to OECD Watch, residents in Villa Estadio have reported property damage, illegal waste disposal, and health problems caused by the mine's activities and possible violations of environmental regulation.[9]
In 2021, the country's environmental authorities took action against the mine because its blasting increased air pollution, which could harm the health of nearby residents. The mine's activities raised a lot of concerns about air quality and possible respiratory issues, according to Reuters. These problems added up have caused frustration and led to protests from the local communities.[10]
These ongoing issues have caused growing frustration in the nearby community, and local people are demanding stricter environmental rules and emission regulations. These problems are complicated, telling how mining activities can inevitably affect the local environment and the health of nearby residents. Even though the Candelaria mine is important for Chile's economy since it brings large economic benefits to the country, its negative effects on local communities have led to calls for more responsible mining practices and greater transparency to reduce environmental injustice and social issues.[citation needed]
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