First Environmental Tribunal Conducts Inspection in Tarapacá Region
In a significant move towards upholding environmental regulations, a multidisciplinary team from the First Environmental Tribunal of Chile, under the leadership of Minister Marcelo Hernández Rojas, recently conducted an on-site inspection in the Quebrada de Tarapacá, located in the Casablanca sector of Huara, Tarapacá Region. This inspection was initiated in response to an environmental damage lawsuit filed by the Aymara Indigenous Community of Casablanca, highlighting concerns regarding the potential impacts of public works on culturally significant sites.
Details of the Environmental Damage Lawsuit
The case, designated as Rol D-36-2025, focuses on allegations made by the Aymara Indigenous Community against the Ministry of Public Works' Hydraulic Works Directorate in the Tarapacá Region. The lawsuit accuses the ministry of causing significant damage to the archaeological site known as "Gentilar Los Hornos." It is claimed that construction activities carried out by a contractor resulted in the destruction of burial sites within this archaeological complex, leading to the disturbance of human remains, funerary bundles, and ceramic artifacts due to heavy machinery operations.
The community asserts that the harm inflicted extends beyond the physical damage to protected archaeological assets, asserting a violation of their cultural, historical, scientific, and spiritual ties to the land, which they regard as sacred and interconnected with their ancestors. The observations made during the tribunal's site visit will play a crucial role in the legal and scientific evaluation of the case as the tribunal prepares for a final ruling.
As reported by 1ta.cl.
