Leo Gillick
Due to irresponsible mining, a small Chilean town is under threat from an encroaching sinkhole that threatens to swallow it as it expands.
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Tierra Amarilla in the Chilean desert has been watching a sinkhole creep closer and closer as it slowly grows over the mine beneath it. It’s spewed dust and damaged water supplies in the small mining town, but they’re hopeful a recent lawsuit will make the company fix the problem.
Big Problem: Originally, when it first opened up, the sinkhole measured 64 meters (210 ft) deep and 32 meters (105 ft) wide. It has since grown and threatens the residents living not far from its ever-moving edge.
- One local man, Rudy Alfaro, lives only 800 meters from the pit. “Ever since the sinkhole occurred … we’ve lived in fear,” he told Reuters. “We were afraid it would get bigger, that it would expand, move toward the houses.”
It’s not just the homes of the small town that are threatened by the growing sinkhole, either. In its relentless path lies a school and health center. If it isn’t fixed by the mining company responsible, they will all end up in the pit.
All Hope Isn’t Lost
Thankfully, despite being a little town in the middle of nowhere, their cries have been heard. The Chilean environmental court has ordered Minera Ojos del Salado to repair the environmental damage their mine created.
Fill The Hole: This will involve protecting the water supply to the small sinkhole-adjacent town and filling in the pit. However, they’re not in the clear just yet. There are numerous issues with the area, including the threat of more subsidence.
An aquifer close to the mine was damaged beyond repair in January which has been draining water into the mine. This is damaging the surrounding rock, only furthering the collapsing walls of the sinkhole. Hopefully, though, the measures being put in place to fill the current pit will stop the ever-growing hole.
Filling the sinkhole is not going to be a small task. But the Canadian-owned mining company needs to be responsible for the damages caused. They should have plenty of material left over from digging the pit in the first place.
