Social injustices are a common result of mismanaged and over allocated water resources. While those peoples located nearest the resource often depend on its health and flow most directly, their power over its management does not reflect such a relationship. This issue is especially prevalent in Chile, as water rights are overwhelmingly held by energy corporations. This allows for the often invasive development of watersheds with little legal requirements to navigate. The damming of the Bío Bío in 1994, which used to run through the Pehuenche territory, is a relevant example of such action. The Bío Bío was considered one of the worlds most spectacular rivers. The Pangue dam was constructed by ENDESA, Empresa Nacional de Electricidad SA, significantly altering and ultimately diminishing the flow of the river. The local indigenous people, the Pehuenche, were given little information about the project and ultimately were not able to participate in the development decision. In light of this event, I think it is important to investigate other such stories within the Chilean water management context, in addition to researching any required social risk assessments accompanying such major projects, if there are any.
Investigations by Lydia Bleifuss