Hydraulic engineering is increasingly relied upon to provide the necessary dry-season discharge for Peru’s hydroelectricity generation. Redirecting stream flow can yield unintended consequences, however, and here we document the wholesale contamination of the Lake Junín National Reserve by acid mine drainage from the Cerro de Pasco mining district. Since construction of the Upamayo Dam in 1932, the Río (river) San Juan, which drains the Cerro de Pasco region, has been seasonally redirected into Lake Junín.

Environmental pollution is arising from the mining industry in the Western World and from the developing nations is a serious issue in current days. Cross-cultural perception studies are needed to understand similarities and differences, if any, in human response to environmental problems between developed and developing countries. Increasing environmental problems in the mining zones of India is one of the burning issues from last two decades. The Damodar Valley coalfields mainly in Raniganj, share a relatively serious environmental problems.

Mountaintop mining (MTM) affects chemical, physical, and hydrological properties of receiving streams, but the long-term consequences for fish-assemblage structure and function are poorly understood. We sampled stream fish assemblages using electrofishing techniques in MTM exposure sites and reference sites within the Guyandotte River basin, USA, during 2010–2011.