La Política de Aguas en Chile y la Gran Minería del Cobre

The article discusses, from a critical approach, water management in Chile,describing its institutional foundations and current physical and legal reality, highlighting the lack of adequate policy response to serious tensions and conflicts that emerge around the resource; not be postponed more important role of state agencies and citizens. Moreover the key aspects that have defined the policy of copper in the last three decades are described, where the denationalization of the xploitation of this resource has reduced the chances of raisingmore revenue for the state, which could have been set aside for fundamental needs like health, education or housing. Given its vital importance, the relationship between water and mining, within the context of sovereignty over natural resources and the sustainability of development, illustrating the detriment to the natural heritage and establishing a proposal for charging for the use of water to large mining as an economic and environmental signal, all framed within a national policy for integrated management of this vital resource.