Colombian Copper Mine Pollutes Rivers and Destroys Local Ecosystem

Reports from December 2025 indicate that the El Rovalle copper mine in Colombia’s Chocó Department has long caused harm to the surrounding environment and communities. Operating since 1990, the mine doubled its daily output to 1,000 tons after being acquired by a Canadian multinational corporation in 2013. It lacks the environmental permits required under Colombian mining law, instead operating under a more lenient 1987 environmental management plan without conducting necessary environmental impact assessments. Since 2009, six documented incidents of pollution from the mine into the Atrato River have occurred. Local residents report that fishing or swimming in the river now causes skin rashes, and fish catches have plummeted from 50 fish per outing to just 5-6 fish, severely impacting the local fishing industry.