The governor of Catamarca, Raúl Jalil, held a working meeting with the mayors of Fiambalá and Villa Vil to coordinate an ambitious public works plan financed with resources from mining activity. The meeting focused on defining the destination of royalties, the extraordinary contributions from companies, and the funds channeled through the provincial trust.
The central objective is to strengthen infrastructure, improve essential services, and ensure that the benefits of mining reach communities in western Catamarca directly.
Priority projects with territorial impact
During the meeting, Jalil spoke with the municipal leaders Raúl Úsqueda (Fiambalá) and Ramón Gutiérrez (Villa Vil) about concrete projects related to health, connectivity, production, and tourism. The projects will be financed with mining resources that are already available and with new contributions committed by companies in the sector.
The working group made it possible to move forward with joint planning, aimed at resolving long-standing structural demands in the mountain areas.
Investment in health and mobility
One of the immediate announcements was the incorporation of new vehicles to improve assistance in hard-to-reach regions. With funds from mining, the purchase will be made of:
- A high-complexity ambulance for the town of Laguna Blanca.
- A pickup truck intended for community tasks in Carachi.
These investments seek to strengthen the health system and optimize the response capacity in emergencies in rural areas.
Extraordinary contribution for Fiambalá
Within the framework of the meeting, it was confirmed that the company Zijin-Liex, operator of the Tres Quebradas lithium project, will make an extraordinary contribution of 400 thousand dollars to the Provincial Mining Trust. All of those funds will be allocated to projects within the jurisdiction of Fiambalá.
The provincial government emphasized that these resources will make it possible to accelerate projects that have long been demanded by the local community.
Public hearings and social license
With the objective of guaranteeing transparency and citizen participation, teams from the Provincial Executive will take part next week in public hearings in Fiambalá. In that setting, residents, municipal authorities, and provincial representatives will define investment priorities.
This stage aims to strengthen the social license of mining activity and ensure a consensual use of resources.
Projects on the agenda: tourism, irrigation, and connectivity
As a basis for debate in the hearings, several strategic projects were preselected:
- Construction of a new sports complex.
- Enhancement of the Fiambalá hot springs, which are key for tourism.
- Completion of the road to Chuquisaca, which is essential to connect Fiambalá with Antofagasta de la Sierra.
- Irrigation and canal works on the Guanchín and Las Lozas rivers.
- Construction of a bypass in Palo Blanco to improve road traffic.
Institutional support
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Mining, Teresita Regalado, together with the Ministers of Finance and Government. National Deputy Sebastián Nóblega and Departmental Senator Pamela López were also present, which reflected strong political support for the strategy of decentralizing mining resources and channeling them into local development.
