Legales / Conflicto ambiental
Por iProfesional
ALERTA
Lithium mining in Catamarca has triggered an environmental conflict that puts a scarce resource at center stage: water. In one of the most arid regions of the country, indigenous communities denounce that the extraction of "white gold" is drying up rivers and affecting vital water basins for survival in the desert.
The epicenter of the dispute is the Salar del Hombre Muerto, located in Antofagasta de la Sierra. This area is part of the so-called Lithium Triangle, a region shared by Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile that holds more than 60% of the world's mineral reserves, according to a note by journalist Sebastián Premici published on the site EconomiaSustentable.com.
While mining companies highlight the export potential and economic opportunities, environmental organizations and indigenous peoples question the lack of comprehensive controls. The central problem: each project is evaluated separately, without measuring the cumulative impact of multiple exploitations on the same groundwater reserve.
What the indigenous communities denounce about the drying of the river
It all began in 2021, when Román Guitián, chief of the Comunidad Originaria Atacameños del Altiplano, filed a lawsuit to halt new mining authorizations in the area.
The complaint initially targeted Livent, the company that operated the historic Fénix Project in the salt flat. Over the years, the corporate structure changed: Livent merged with Allkem to form Arcadium Lithium and was later acquired by multinational Rio Tinto.
According to the judicial filing, the sustained extraction of surface and groundwater over years would have generated irreversible impacts on the ecosystem. The most emblematic case: the alleged drying of the Los Patos River.
The community also denounced the impact on wetlands and meadows linked to the basin. These ecosystems function as natural reservoirs in the heart of the desert and are essential for grazing, subsistence agriculture, and drinking water supply, adds the article from EconomiaSustentable.com.
The claim was not limited to stopping projects. The communities demanded comprehensive environmental studies and guarantees of effective participation in evaluation processes. Until then, no authority had assessed the combined impact of all mining operations on the same hydrogeological basin.
How the courts first halted new projects and then reversed course
In 2024, the Court of Justice of Catamarca issued a precautionary measure that temporarily suspended new authorizations for lithium projects in the Salar del Hombre Muerto.
The decision was considered a relevant precedent. For the first time, a court recognized the need to analyze the cumulative effects of the different operations on the same basin.
The indigenous community argued that the environmental studies conducted so far evaluated each project separately. This methodology, according to what they argued to the site EconomiaSustentable.com, ignored the combined impact produced by multiple enterprises extracting water from the same underground reservoir.
The injunction also ordered progress on broader environmental studies and consultation mechanisms with affected communities. For months, the judicial freeze paralyzed new investments in the area.
However, in March of this year, the Court of Justice of Catamarca resolved to lift the injunction. The decision was made by a majority after the provincial government presented an environmental impact study prepared by a private consulting firm.
According to the provincial administration's report to the court, the study concluded that the environmental, productive, and sociocultural systems were in adequate condition. The study held that mining exploitation would not affect the Los Patos River basin.
Nevertheless, the full content of the report was not publicly released. Two judges voted in dissent, considering that all the requirements of the original ruling had not yet been met.
The dissenting magistrates pointed out that the analysis presented did not replace the need for comprehensive plans for environmental monitoring, hydrological control, biodiversity tracking, and effective community participation mechanisms.
After the ruling, the Comunidad Originaria Atacameños del Altiplano decided to appeal the decision. The judicial conflict remains open.
Why the water debate in the salt flat is more complex than it seems
One of the central points of the conflict is the amount of water used by lithium extraction projects. But the discussion goes far beyond the liters consumed.
During public presentations held this year, representatives from Rio Tinto defended the sustainability of the operations. They noted that part of the water used returns to the natural system through evaporation and precipitation processes.
However, environmental specialists question that interpretation. Environmental lawyer Verónica Gostissa argued that the Salar del Hombre Muerto functions as a single basin and cannot be analyzed project by project.
According to Gostissa, there are currently multiple enterprises extracting resources from the same hydrogeological base. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the total capacity of the system to sustain these activities without collapsing.
The specialist also warned that there is still no consolidated public information on the total amount of water and brine extracted since the beginning of mining operations in the region. This lack of cumulative data prevents knowing the true water footprint of the lithium industry.
The situation becomes more complex because the Salar del Hombre Muerto no longer hosts a single mining enterprise. In addition to the Fénix Project, there are currently several projects in different stages of development and exploration.
According to data cited in the case, at least eight lithium-related initiatives coexist in the basin. Communities and specialists argue that the problem is no longer solely about the water consumption of a particular company, but the combined impact of all operations on the same water reservoir.
In a province that has been under a water emergency since 2022, the debate takes on an even greater dimension. Various localities in Catamarca face restrictions on water for human consumption and productive activities.
In rural areas, water is essential for grazing, agriculture, and community subsistence. A salt flat that functions as a natural reservoir in the middle of the desert cannot be evaluated with the same parameters as a basin in a humid region.
Who are the major players behind Argentine lithium
The environmental dispute occurs alongside increasing corporate concentration in the global lithium business. Rio Tinto became one of the main players in Argentina after acquiring Arcadium Lithium.
Globally, the company's shareholders include major international investment funds such as BlackRock and Vanguard, along with other institutional investors.
The strategic relevance of lithium is linked to the growth of the battery industry for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Argentine salt flats have become a priority target for mining companies and manufacturers tied to the energy transition.
The conflict also relates to the discussion on access to and control of natural resources. Social organizations and specialists warn that modifications promoted in various regulations could facilitate greater concentration of land linked to extractive projects.
In particular, there is concern about proposed changes in legislation on rural land and the treatment of water bodies within those regulatory frameworks.
According to various experts, access to water is increasingly linked to control of the territories where basins and salt flats are located. In this context, they argue that the discussion goes beyond a single company or specific project.
The debate becomes a broader issue about the development model, environmental protection, and the use of strategic resources in areas where water is not a renewable resource at the rate demanded by industrial extraction.
The lithium controversy in Catamarca reflects one of the main challenges of the global energy transition: how to reconcile the growing demand for critical minerals with the preservation of ecosystems and the rights of local communities.
While companies highlight the investments, employment, and exports generated by the activity, indigenous communities demand greater controls, cumulative environmental studies, and guarantees on future water availability.
The appeal filed by the Comunidad Originaria Atacameños del Altiplano keeps open a conflict that continues to pit two visions against each other regarding the future of the Salar del Hombre Muerto and the natural resources of the region.
