This is the fourth oil spill this year.
ORPIAN leaders are calling on OEFA to act in response to this new emergency.
It is urgent to recognize surveillance tasks carried out by indigenous peoples as an emergency mechanism in the event of other potential spills.
Lima August 10, 2016. The Peruvian Amazon suffers the fourth oil spill so far this year from the North Peruvian Pipeline (km 370). This new incident occurred in the district of Nieva, Condorcanqui Province (Amazonas). It was reported by Edwin Montenegro and Gerson Danducho , chairman and technical adviser of the Regional Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Northern Amazon of Peru ( ORPIAN -P ), who contacted the members of the community of Uchi Chiangos , community directly affected. They noted that «they saw at 10 am today that oil was coming down the Nieva River, an important oil spill is expected, since it moves quickly and will soon reach the Maranon River”. The other affected communities are: Tontuza Center , Puerto Tontuza , Japaime , Yatana Entsa , Seasmi , Achuaga , Wichim , Pueblo Nieva, Juan Velasco.
Montenegro reported that this spill had occurred at dawn today. This is why he is currently going to the affected areas in order to realize the respective coordinations. Moreover, these leaders called the Agency for the Environmental Assessment and Control -OEFA to tell them to prioritize urgent controls regarding this new fact.
On the other hand, PETROPERU reported the beginning of the contingency plan. However, local communities and the local indigenous organizations would not have access to the details of such actions.
In this context, ORPIAN and the local indigenous peoples reaffirm the emergency for the state to recognize, articulate and promote the indigenous surveillance they carry out. This would allow State authorities to provide a quicker and more coordinated response to these events and reduce health, environment and food, damages caused by the impacts on water consumption, fish in the river and plantations.
As noted by Vanessa Cueto DAR «Continuous oil spills in the Amazon show the limited effectiveness of control and sanction mechanisms which were weakened by the Article 19 of the Law No. 30230 under the guise of promoting investment. It is just the opposite; these changes have weakened our institutions, in addition to cause more damages to the local people, which are the most vulnerable. »
FACT: This new oil spill is just two hours away from the basin Chiriaco where a spill occurred on January 25, 2016, affecting the native communities conforming ORPIAN -P. This new development would be the second spill in the region and fourth in the Amazon nationwide this year.
Contact Data ORPIAN:
Edwin Montenegro, President of ORPIAN-P, email: kanusyaya@hotmail.com, telephone: 968809099. Gerson Danducho, Technical Advisor ORPIAN-P, corrego gersondanducho@hotmail.com phone 947 810 364.
More information on the causes and possible effects of this new oil spill, contact our specialists: 51-1-340-3780 Annex: 105