(Cacciuttolo and Valenzuela, 2022). Moreover, mining operations require a continuous and reliable water supply throughout the entire life cycle of a project. This operational requirement makes water demand relatively inflexible and increases exposure to climatic variability and hydrological uncertainty. While water planning in mining increasingly incorporates environmental and regulatory considerations, it has traditionally been conducted primarily at the individual project level. This project-centred approach may limit the ability to fully capture cumulative impacts and dynamic interactions among multiple operations and other water users within the same basin or region, highlighting opportunities to strengthen integrated and basin-scale water management strategies (Arenas-Collao et al., 2024). The social and environmental impacts associated with mining-related water use are extensively documented and constitute a source of conflict in arid regions. From an environmental perspective, intensive water extraction has been linked to ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and disruption of critical ecosystem services, particularly in fragile environments such as salt flats, wetlands, and high-altitude basins (Mangani et al., 2025; Arenas-Collao et al., 2024). From a social perspective, perceptions of disparities in water allocation and transparency regarding water rights and consumption data have contributed to challenges in building and maintaining confidence and effective engagement between mining companies, local communities, and public authorities. Research shows that even when water use complies with existing legal frameworks, significant gaps often remain between what is legally authorised and what is socially acceptable, especially in territories where water holds cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance beyond its economic value (Ulloa et al., 2022; Damonte et al., 2021). Participatory mechanisms and the integration of social concerns into water planning processes present opportunities for further enhancement, particularly through earlier and more systematic incorporation, to support mining projects in securing and maintaining a social license to operate. Consequently, a growing body of literature highlights the need for water governance approaches that explicitly integrate social and environmental dimensions, promote transparency, and foster collaborative decision‑making among stakeholders as a means to reduce conflict and improve long‑term sustainability (IFC and ICMM, 2017; Pagliero et al., 2024). In response to the limitations of conventional, project‑based approaches, shared water infrastructure has emerged as a promising structural strategy to address water scarcity in arid regions with high mining intensity. Shared infrastructure refers to the planning, financing, and operation of water supply systems, such as desalination plants, conveyance pipelines, storage facilities, and distribution networks, designed from a regional, multi‑user perspective rather than as isolated assets serving individual projects (Admiraal et al., 2017). The literature suggests that shared water infrastructure can deliver substantial economic, environmental, and social benefits. Economically, it enables economies of scale, reduces duplication of investments, and improves the utilisation of long‑lived infrastructure assets (Valero et al., 2025). Environmentally, integrated infrastructure planning can minimise territorial footprint, reduce cumulative impacts, and facilitate the protection of continental water sources by coordinating the use of alternative supplies such as desalinated seawater (Moreno-Silva et al., 2025; Pagliero et al., 2024). From a governance and social perspective, shared infrastructure creates opportunities to redistribute the benefits of mining‑driven water investments across multiple users, including communities, agriculture, and urban systems. Evidence indicates that when such systems are developed through participatory and transparent processes, they can improve equity in water access, reduce conflict, and enhance the legitimacy of water‑related investment decisions (IFC and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0Mzk2