Gestión del agua y minería en el Perú: manejo del agua en operaciones mineras e intervenciones en la cuenca

Abstract

Over the last years the mining industry has been performing its activities under conditions in which access and use of water resources is not just vital for mining- metallurgical processes, but also a key factor in order to be accepted as a fellow actor in the basin, precisely by those it has to enter into agreements with, not just for shared use, but also for shared management, based on technical and regulatory procedures, set forth by the competent water authority. Common understanding and agreement about water availability within a certain geographical area, overseen by the regulatory intervention of the statutory authority, in line with water demand, is the way to build water resources governability in the basin, the geographical space where integrated water management efforts are to be conducted. 

There is widespread consensus among the majority of water-consuming eco- nomic activities, mining in particular, about the need to incorporate a vision and focus on integrated water management, in order to ensure its conservation, quality and rational use. The mining industry is determined to show its activities and water management efforts, inside and outside its facilities, make a positive contribution to sustainable development, environmental protection, and specifically to the steward- ship of water resources in those basins where it operates, aiming at undertaking its activities in a responsible manner.