Amparo proceedings seek a court order requiring Volcan to remedy the serious environmental damage it has caused in Cerro de Pasco, to protect the health, lives and fundamental rights of the population.
Lima, May 28, 2026 - The mayor of the province of Pasco, Julio Cesar Rupay, arrived in Lima to file a lawsuit against Volcan Compañia Minera and its subsidiary companies, with the aim of demanding remediation for the affected areas of the districts of Simon Bolivar, Yanacancha and Chaupimarca. For more than 30 years, the people of Cerro de Pasco have denounced pollution from toxic waste, which extends for kilometres around the mine through soils, rivers and lakes.
"Pasco is not against mining. Pasco is against pollution, and we see that our people have been abandoned. If immediate measures are not taken, the future will be devastating. We do not want, a few years from now, to have an entire hospital full of children contaminated with heavy metals; that is our concern," the mayor said.
This amparo action seeks for the judiciary to recognise that Volcan has caused serious environmental damage, to order the company to remediate water sources and soils contaminated with heavy metals, and to take urgent measures to prevent this pollution from continuing. It also calls for a comprehensive diagnosis to thoroughly assess the health of the population of Cerro de Pasco and for medical follow-up of those affected by the contamination.
Julio Cesar Rupay arrived in the capital accompanied by civil society organisations, including the Interquorum Pasco Youth Network and the National Platform of People Affected by Heavy Metals, Metalloids and Other Toxic Chemical Substances (Planametox). The amparo action has legal support from EarthRights International (ERI) and is backed by the scientific evidence collected by Source International.
"Companies such as Volcan cannot continue to operate with impunity, profiting at the expense of the environment, health and life. Peruvian justice must put an end to three decades of abuses and order the company to adopt not only remediation measures, but also guarantees of non-repetition to ensure that, as long as Volcan's mining activity continues, it does not again cause the serious environmental impacts inflicted on Cerro de Pasco," said Itzel Silva, Legal Director of EarthRights Latin America.
Flaviano Bianchini, director and founder of Source International, an organisation that has studied pollution in Cerro de Pasco for 18 years, stresses that the scientific evidence requires urgent health intervention to protect the integrity of the affected populations, where children are the most vulnerable.
"According to our studies, 100% of the children in Paragsha, one of the affected localities, have levels of heavy metals in their bodies that exceed WHO limits. Recent studies have shown a direct correlation between metals in children's bodies and certain diseases, as well as reduced brain development. We even found toxic metals in the meat of animals consumed by the local population."
The amparo action is now before the Constitutional Court of Lima, which must analyze Volcan's liability. Its decision will be decisive in ensuring environmental justice and protecting the fundamental right of Cerro de Pasco residents to enjoy a healthy environment.
For further information, contact: Monica Cepeda +51986713388
