More than four tons of dead fish – including the sábalo (Prochilodus lineatus), tararira (Hoplias malabaricus), pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) and catfish – appeared last week in the reservoir of the Hondo River in northern Argentina, apparently killed by industrial pollution. The 33,000-hectare reservoir is located in the basin of the Salí-Dulce, a river that begins in Tucumán province and passes through Santiago del Estero and Córdoba. The tourist city of Termas de Río Hondo is set on its banks.

The authorities in Santiago del Estero blame the sugarmills of Tucumán for dumping waste into the Salí. But resident organizations believe the culprit is large-scale mining.

Elizabeth Ávila, resident of Río Hondo, told Tierramérica that the sugarmills have been there for more than 100 years, and the fish die-offs began just seven years ago, when the La Alumbrera mine opened. “Now the situation is worse than ever,” she said.