FX.co ★ Chilean Indians win in court against world's largest gold miner

A Chilean appeals court ruled against the world’s largest gold mining company Barrick Gold that contested the ruling on forced suspension of its operations at Chilean Pascua-Lama mine, La Segunda reported.
Three judges unanimously decided that the company must construct all the necessary systems for the protection of fresh water from pollution. The court ruling also called for the project’s environmental license given by SEA to be reviewed.
According to Reuters, the review of the environmental permit may take from six months to two years. The ruling may be appealed to the Supreme Court of Chile. The company reported in its press release that the plan of the project's water management system is ready and mine operations can be resumed by the end of the next year.
The lawsuit against Barrick was filed by Diaguita Indians living in the Atacama Desert at the foothills of the Andes. The residents accused the company of contaminating their water downstream – the source of drinking water for the Indians.
The reserves of Pascua Lama are estimated at 17 million troy ounces of gold and 635 million ounces of silver. Amid the protests of environmentalists and residents of Chile, the mine development was postponed several times.