“Ruling in the Ariana case puts the right to water of more than 10 million people in Lima and Callao at risk,” April 11, 2025

The Ariana mining project poses an imminent threat to the human right to access drinking water for more than ten million people in Lima and Callao...

Despite this, a recent ruling by the Judiciary allows construction of the project to continue, raising alarm among water experts and defenders...

Ana Leyva, a lawyer and researcher at CooperAcción, expressed deep concern over what she described as a contradictory ruling. “The decision acknowledges that the project poses a risk to water, yet no effective measures are adopted to protect the system,” she stated...

Jorge Mendoza, president of the Front for Water and Life, said the judicial ruling reflects a systematic push to impose extractive projects in environmentally sensitive territories. “If mining is allowed in the heart of the water system of the most populous city in the country, the message is that it can be done anywhere,” he warned...

Southern Peaks Mining sold the Ariana project to Alpayana S.A.C., a transaction that, according to Ana Leyva, demonstrates an intention to move forward with the project despite its risks. “This company purchased the project knowing the risks, which shows they are determined to impose it at any cost,” she asserted...

In response, the filing of a constitutional grievance appeal before the Constitutional Court was announced, seeking to annul the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the resolutions that support it...

Jorge Mendoza emphasized that beyond legal avenues, the key lies in expanding public awareness and strengthening grassroots organization in neighborhoods, districts, and regions. “Water can unite all sectors of society. It is time to come together and build a sustained campaign to defend water for Lima, Callao, and the entire country,” he concluded.