In #Chilean desert, #Global thirst for #Lithium is fueling a ‘water war’
‘WATER WAR’
A global boom in demand for #Lithium has set off a scramble in #Chile, which is home to nearly 50 percent of the world’s reserves of the metal.
Local indigenous groups, #SQM and #Albemarle, regional #Copper miners and newcomers to the region are all competing for water.
“What we have is a water war in the salt pan. There’s a huge crush on water and nowhere to get it from,” said Alonso Barros, an attorney with the Atacama Desert Foundation, an NGO that works with indigenous groups in the region.
