Peru: Mining project “Río Blanco” threatens the human right to food and water of the population living in the northern part of Peru

In 2001, the mining company Minera Majaz, a subsidiary of the British company Monterrico Metals, obtained eight mining concessions in the northern part of Peru. One of these concessions is for the mining project “Río Blanco”, of 6472 hectares, aimed at exploiting a copper and molybdenum site. The peasant communities of the area strongly oppose this project, since it is a major threat to the agriculture and thus to their human rights to food and water.  

The project would have a negative impact in the farming activities of the peasant communities living in the area and of the population living in the lower parts, since the mining activities and other adjacent mining projects waiting for the project “Río Blanco” to start are located at the source of the most important rivers in the region. The environmental degradation produced by the mining exploitation would affect thousands of people. Since the affected communities have not been properly informed, the mining activities do not comply with the requirements foreseen by the Peruvian legislation. Please, write formal letters to the political authorities in Peru, in order to support the communities threatened by the mining activities in their resistance and struggle for the defense of their right to food, water and to an adequate environment.