'Ecocide' in Guatemala's Pasion River Remains Unpunished
'Ecocide' in Guatemala's Pasion River Remains Unpunished
Guatemala's Pasion River | Photo: Diario El Mundo
Published 17 July 2016
More than a year after the tragedy in Guatemala’s Pasion River, no one has yet been prosecuted.
It has been more than a year since the contamination of Guatemala’s Pasion River, which impacted more than 185 kilometers downstream from the source of contamination, impacting the livelihoods of more than 22,000 people.
The Pasion River was declared an ecological disaster after it was severely contaminated by an industrial pesticide used for the production of African oil palm, a chemically intensive crop grown as a monoculture.
But to date, no criminal charges have been filed against the company responsible, Spanish refinery, Reforestadora of Palmas de El Peten, Anómima Society, or REPSA.
The runoff has affected as many as 117 families, virtually all of them poor, and whose chief resource is the river. Without access to the river, many have also lost their homes, said Evaristo Carmenate, leader of the local fishermen.
More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Ecocide-in-Guatemalas-Pasion-River-Remains-Unpunished-20160717-0014.html
Environment & Energy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1127103712
