The Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente (Sma) has filed two serious charges against the Antofagasta Municipality for handling the La Chimba ex-landfill, due to the lack of environmental evaluation in its recovery plan. The accusations stem from citizen complaints about illegal burns affecting health and the environment near the Reserva Nacional La Chimba. The municipality has deadlines to respond and claims it is already implementing remediation measures.
The Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente (Sma) has launched a sanctioning procedure against the Antofagasta Municipality for irregularities in the closure and recovery of the La Chimba ex-landfill, a site that operated since 1970 as a domestic waste dump in the commune and is located just one kilometer from the Reserva Nacional La Chimba. In December 2022, the Antofagasta Court of Appeals ordered its closure, and the municipality obtained the concession to implement the Remediation and Recovery Plan for the site, covering 71 hectares affected by decades of waste disposal.
The process originated from 19 citizen complaints filed in 2022, mainly about illegal burns that caused air pollution, strong odors, and affected the quality of life of nearby residents. Sma inspectors conducted an environmental inspection that year and concluded that the recovery project must mandatorily enter the Environmental Impact Assessment System (Seia). However, the municipality proposed a 20-month timeline for entry, which was rejected as excessive.
The two serious charges filed are: the first, for failing to environmentally evaluate the project without first obtaining an Environmental Qualification Resolution (Rca), required for contaminated areas larger than 10,000 square meters; and the second, for not complying with the formal Seia entry requirement issued on October 3, 2022, within the established deadlines.
Javiera de la Cerda, head of the Sma regional office in Antofagasta, highlighted the risks: "There could be a risk to the health of those living in the surroundings and to the environment, especially considering the site's proximity to the Reserva Nacional La Chimba, a protected area of high ecological value".
The municipality has 15 business days to present a Compliance Program and 22 days to file defenses. In response, the local government clarified that "the charges do not constitute a sanction" and that the potential program aims to organize actions already underway, such as the Plan La Chimba. This includes installing air quality monitoring sensors, 24-hour security patrols, soil sanitation, and an integral environmental remediation plan. The municipality stated it will respond within deadlines to address observations.