Argentina: thousands protest in Mendoza wine region over axed water protections
Law kept mining projects out of Argentina province – now water for wine-growers will be threatened in drought-stricken area
Law kept mining projects out of Argentina province – now water for wine-growers will be threatened in drought-stricken area
Thousands of people joined demonstrations on Monday outside the office of provincial governor Rodolfo Suarez in the capital city, also called Mendoza, after he overturned the law, known as 7722 late last week.
The peaceful protest turned violent on Monday afternoon, as police fired rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowd in response to stone-throwing by angry demonstrators.
Suarez further infuriated the protestors on Sunday, when he announced
19 uranium, cooper, gold, lead, silver, zinc, and iron mining projects. He argued that the projects will create tens of thousands of new jobs, and promised to use royalties for new irrigation projects.
19 uranium, cooper, gold, lead, silver, zinc, and iron mining projects. He argued that the projects will create tens of thousands of new jobs, and promised to use royalties for new irrigation projects.
Environmentalists warned that the mega-projects could threaten water sources that farmers and wine-growers depend on, in a semi-arid province which is already going through the worst drought in its history.
“The modification of law 7722 will permit the use of sulphuric acid, cyanide and other toxic chemicals in the development of mega mining projects, which will generate the contamination of the province’s water,” Greenpeace Argentina said in a statement.
