The last report on the State of the Environment in Chile reported that -as of 2020- there were 3,360 sites (active and passive) with the potential presence of contaminants, of which 30% is the product of mining activity. In fact, the largest contaminated area in our country is located in the Antofagasta and Atacama region as a result of mining operations.

It is also very striking that, although since 2009 Chile has advanced in the development of regulations that regulate the treatment and disposal of contaminated land, to date we still do not have specific legislation on the matter and neither for soils, being the only country of the OECD that does not have it.

Despite this reality, as a company we have been present in the national industry with services that contribute to environmental sanitation for more than 25 years, highlighting, among others, the remediation and restoration of contaminated land, with what we contribute to combat climate change.

Our goal is to add value to reduce the main impacts of industrial activity caused by the dispersion, spillage or transfer of hazardous substances that ultimately accumulate in the soil of industrial facilities, thus generating various diseases for human beings and also negative effects for environment.

We have a highly specialized team to carry out sampling, analysis, removal, treatment and/or recovery of contaminated areas. "Before and during the process, we carry out rigorous analytical controls that allow us to determine the danger and main contaminants present in each piece of land, to subsequently apply the most appropriate treatment and ensure its decontamination," highlights Gonzalo Velásquez, Hidronor's Environmental Manager.

As a result of our service, the place is in optimal conditions for various industrial, agricultural, tourist, residential uses, among others, thus avoiding affecting the natural and human environment.

Regarding tailings management, we treat them as waste so that they "stop generating potential risks to the population and the environment, ensuring their physical and chemical stability," adds Pablo Seguel, Specialist Engineer in Development of Services for the North Zone. of Hydronor.

Specifically, we move the contaminated waste to our facilities in Antofagasta, where we stabilize it and later transfer it to our security deposit, which has basal waterproofing for safe confinement.

In this way, at Hidronor we are a fundamental player to contribute to the environmental remediation of the country, contributing with concrete actions to care for the environment.