Elicura, Mapuche territory marked by decades of intervention by forestry companies and landowners. The gospel and state paternalism. Located in the commune of Contulmo, in the south of the province of Arauco, since 2006 it has resisted companies plundering natural resources such as the extraction of aggregates, which have irremediably intervened the Elicura and Calebu rivers, direct tributaries of Lake Lanalhue , today in danger of getting bogged down by the luchecillo caused by the black-necked swans that today inhabit their waters after emigrating from the Cruces River, in Valdivia, in response to the pollution caused by Celco.
Hidrowatt intends to build three hydroelectric plants passing through the territory. These are: Central Gustavito of 2.1 Mega Watts (MW) of power; Provoque of 1.6 MW and Calebu of 2.3 MW. Once the project was known, the inhabitants of Elicura Valley went to the relevant institutions to demand explanations regarding the project. However, the then mayor of Contulmo, Diego Ibáñez; the governor of Arauco, Humberto Toro, both socialists, added to the seremi of Environment of Biobío, Richard Vargas and the regional director of the General Direction of Waters (DGA) César Saavedra indicated to ignore the project arguing that “there was no formal presentation” in the aforementioned institutions.
Although the authorities denied the project, the elicurache knew of its existence and gave way to mobilizations. This is how on July 29, 2016, more than 100 inhabitants of the valley take the P-60R road that joins Contulmo with Cañete, in opposition to the hydroelectric project.
Marked the turning point, the inhabitants of the valley are organized, forming the Movement in Defense of the Rivers of Elicura Valley, composed of Mapuche and non-Mapuche people who seek to generate debate and raise awareness among the inhabitants of the valley about this new threat. In this transit, propaganda days are organized, filling the houses in the canvas valley against Hidrowatt, and work is being done to install the conflict in the media, in order to generate the support of other networks that share this problem in different territories.
