We present an environmental injunction for the contamination of Lake San Roque

We presented an environmental protection before the Justice of Córdoba for the serious situation of contamination and degradation that Lake San Roque presents, one of the main reservoirs of Córdoba.

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After an in-depth study of the critical situation of environmental contamination suffered by the main water basins of the province, including Lake San Roque, Los Molinos Dam and Suquía River, we made a diagnosis where we capture its current state and the causes pollution, the consequences that this generates in the environment, in the community and in biodiversity, and we make a series of recommendations to the authorities.

As we were able to determine, the main cause of contamination is the lack or deficiency of appropriate public policies. Which translates into poor management of sewage effluents and urban solid waste, deforestation, contamination with agrochemicals, fires, lack of environmental impact studies in public and private works, among others, all of which ends up seriously affecting the water courses.

We particularly focus on Lake San Roque due to the great importance that this lake has for the entire province, since there are various cultural, economic and developmental life webs in and around it, in addition to supplying water to a large part of the people who live in Córdoba. It is estimated that the water that more than a million and a half people drink comes from the lake, and it is the economic engine of the entire Punilla region.

Given the alarming situation of the lake, and given the lack of initiatives by the authorities to stop the contamination immediately and clean up the basin, despite the constant demands of the community, we decided to go to court through an injunction environmental.

What does the protection consist of?

The purpose of this legal action is to request the Courts to intervene proactively in the protection of the right to health, quality of life and preservation of a healthy environment. Through the amparo presented, we sue the authorities responsible for the situation of Lake San Roque, that is: the Government of the Province of Córdoba, the Ministry of Public Services of the Province of Córdoba, the Provincial Administration of Water Resources of Córdoba ( APRHI), the Secretary of the Environment of the Province of Córdoba, and the municipalities and communes that the basin crosses.

The objective of this action is to ask the Cordovan justice to:

• condemn the defendant authorities to carry out actions aimed at preventing polluting behavior in the San Roque Lake basin and its tributary rivers;
• order to cease the dumping of substances that pollute the lake;
• Demand to stop public and private works that could deepen the critical situation of the basin;
• order the urgent restoration and remediation of the lake;
• At the same time, we ask for the creation of an interdisciplinary and interjurisdictional River Basin Committee, which has powers of inspection, control, authorization of polluting activities and/or undertakings, among other powers. The formation and proper functioning of said Committee is fundamental in order to consolidate efficient and appropriate solutions to the needs of the entire community. In this sense, we request that citizen participation be guaranteed in advance in its formation and in its subsequent operation, and that its opinion be mandatory for the authorities.

The reality shows the serious and critical situation that all the water courses in the province are going through, something as basic as the water we drink cannot admit more inaction and delays on the part of the authorities. For this reason, we hope that the Justice of Córdoba responds quickly and responsibly to this cause, given the importance it has for those of us who inhabit the province, for future generations, for the environment and for the community of Punilla.

 

More Information

Situational Diagnosis of the Water Resources of Córdoba: Los Molinos Lake and San Roque Lake

Situational Diagnosis of the Water Resources of Córdoba: Suquía River

 

Author

Ananda Lavayén

Contacto

Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org