Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold has poisoned an Argentinian community’s
water supply five times in the last seven years.

Act now to shut down one of the world’s most dangerous mines.

[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 

   
John,

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.

[ [link removed] ]Sign here to demand that Argentine government officials protect their
country from Barrick Gold’s dangerous mine.

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.

[ [link removed] ]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. 



[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 



Thanks for all that you do,
Lacey and the team at Ekō


More information:

[ [link removed] ]Barrick Gold under fire by UN for toxic spills from Veladero mine in
Argentina
Financial Post. 17 November, 2022

[ [link removed] ]Exclusive: Barrick faces sanctions for Argentina cyanide spills, judge
says
Reuters. 26 April, 2017

 

 

Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]