This week the Government confirmed that Kallpa began a new stage in the project lithium exploration in it El Leoncito salt flat, in the Bermejo Valley. The announcement is a turning point in the province’s mining policy since the conflict of Famatinawhich consolidated The Rioja as a province without social consensus for mining.
In 2022 La Rioja promoted the law declaration of lithium as a strategic resource, suspended the mining exploration licenses granted so far and created the state company Kallpa SAPEM to carry out the activity.
The deposit is located in the El Leoncito salt flats, in the Lamadrid department, at about 3,600 meters above sea level, on the border with San Juan, and adds La Rioja to the litiferous provinces along with Catamarca, Salta and Jujuy.
The Secretary of Mining of the province, Ivanna Guardia He assured that “the beginning of this new stage of lithium exploration in El Leoncito marks a significant milestone in the development of sustainable mining in La Rioja. Kallpa has already carried out the first stage of prospecting and exploration of three wells and with the results obtained begins this next stage that includes nine drillings, which will allow obtaining the feasibility of the project, which is of great relevance for the Province taking into account “It is the most advanced lithium project in the territory.”
The Riojan mountain range is not touched
While The Assembly for Life Chilecito and environmental groups assured: “Although the provincial government affirms that there is a social license for mining, this is false. These projects are advancing in violation of current legislation regarding access to public information, such as the Escazú Agreement, and to date the people have not had access to environmental impact studies.”
In a statement titled With or without RIGI, Quintela advances over the mountain range with mega-mining and without a social license, They reported that through surveys in the territory, they confirmed that “lithium fever has already claimed the life of the El Leoncito salt mine and the biodiversity of the region. The state-owned company Kallpa drilled the salt flat and built an embankment on top so that trucks could move there. Within a few months, hundreds of flamingos were found dead in the Laguna Brava, a few kilometers from that place. The government said that they had died from malnutrition due to lack of food as a result of early immigration, but they denied the existence of mining projects in the area,” they noted.
“Once again we say: they have no social license! The Rioja mountain range is not touched! Water is worth more than everything!” the statement concludes.
