protest in Santiago

More than 70 organizations participated in the march, denouncing Chilean energy company AES Gener and mining company Antofagasta Minerals for possibly threatening the capital’s water supply.

“Everything starts with the glaciers … and for us it’s important that we be present in this march in particular because the construction of Alto Maipo will impact the glaciers,”

“There’s a lack of understanding regarding the impact this construction will have on the city, which has to do with this secret agreement between [Aes Gener] and Aguas Andinas and which will allow it to use drinking water reserves for the production of energy,” 

Earlier in July, various political figures denounced what they saw as a lack of transparency in the AES Gener’s dealings with Aguas Andinas, a utility company that manages drinking water.

According to the companies in charge of Alto Maipo, the US$700 million project would generate approximately 50 percent of Santiago homes’ electricity demand.

Catalina Pezoa, representing the Workers’ Revolutionary Party (PTR), spoke to The Santiago Times about the moral imperative behind her organization’s participation.

“We’re a movement connected to the earth and in that sense, we have a more moral outlook on this problem,” she said. “We want the nationalization of natural resources … because we know that the workers are those who should have control of those resources without having to designate an employer who takes all of those resources and interests.”

Back in April, thousands of Chileans gathered in Parque Almagro demanding the end to the private management of water in Chile, and to have the resource named a basic human right in the Constitution

On Saturday, carrying posters with pictures of the local plant life, residents of the Peumo community of the Cajón del Maipo joined the march to defend their home.

“We’re against the Alto Maipo project because it’s going to take the water from the river and tributaries, 80 percent of it … and the area is filled with flora and fauna. It’s a national heritage. I don’t know how the government can allow something like this. It’s an immoral project,” 

Saturday’s march is one more act of opposition in a string of protests against the hydro project and the privatization of water.

Earlier in June, residents of San José de Maipo occupied the entrance to the Public Works Ministry to show their opposition to Alto Maipo.

Chile imports 70 percent of its energy and has some of the highest energy prices in the region. Bachelet has warned of a pending energy crisis as the mining industry in the north expands, however large-scale hydro projects and coal-fired power plants have struggled to remain operational or get off the ground in the face of legal battles with communities, environmentalists and regulators.

The 2014-18 Energy Agenda revealed the government is gambling on the U.S. shale gas boom in order to address rising energy prices in the medium term.