Tag Archive for: San Roque Lake

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Justice resolves a preventive measure for Lake San Roque

Yesterday, March 30, 2023, the Court admitted the precautionary measure requested within the framework of the environmental protection presented last November. The Chamber resolves to partially grant the measure and orders the province of Córdoba to “Plan for Sanitation of Lake San Roque and Sustainable Development” within a period of 60 business days.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

Background of the case:

In the month of November, Fundeps presented a collective environmental protection action before the Córdoba justice system requesting urgent and definitive measures to be taken regarding the serious situation that the Lake San Roque basin is going through.

The Administrative Litigation Chamber 3A Nomination, on 12/12/2022, summoned all the defendants (the municipalities and communes that make up the basin and the Province of Córdoba), and stated:

“That it is public knowledge of the delicate situation in which the San Roque Lake basin finds itself, whose degradation has been going on for a long time; worsening year after year, with pollution peaks in the summer periods (effect of high temperatures and lack of precipitation, among other causes); all of which is periodically made visible by the different provincial or local journalistic media that graphically portray the state of the water mirror that supplies a large part of the provincial population.

Given this, it summoned the province of Córdoba – through the competent areas or agencies – so that within a period of 15 judicial business days they report, among other issues, whether the Sustainable Development Committee of the Basin is current and operational. of Lake San Roque, if there is a sanitation plan, a Strategic Plan for Sewage Sanitation Works in the area and also requested the Legislative Branch of the Province to inform if there are bills related to the sanitation of the Lake San Roque Basin .

Among the responses provided by the Province, the Chamber highlights that the “Sustainable Development Committee of the San Roque Lake Basin” is not in operation, created by Law 7773, and that there is effectively no Sanitation Plan, but rather isolated measures are adopted from the different departments.

Resolution of the Chamber on the requested precautionary measure:

In this context, the Court, through Order Number 33, in its resolution yesterday considers that, as we had stated in the lawsuit, the remediation of the basin is not possible without a plan that, based on the diagnosis of the current situation, define means and mechanisms to achieve sanitation and sustainable management.

Thus the Chamber resolves, making use of the broad faculties and powers it has in this type of process where collective interests are at stake, to partially grant the requested precautionary measure and order within a period of sixty (60) business days. to the Province of Córdoba the preparation of the project of a “Sanitation Plan for Lake San Roque and Sustainable Development”.

Its main objective will be the sanitation of Lake San Roque associated with the sustainable development of its basin, and must contain, among various requirements:

A. Actions aimed at achieving the objective, with express mention of fire prevention, and the impact of anthropogenic activities in the basin, the territorial planning of the Basin as appropriate to each municipality or commune;

B. goals;

C. methodology;

D. deadlines with milestones with partial stages with times and measures;

E. proposal of different alternatives for the solution of the identified problems and their possible causes, in addition the Chamber requires that these alternatives must be considered in terms of their acceptability, effectiveness, efficiency and quality; The selection of the alternatives taken to solve the different aspects of the problem must be adequately justified;

F. definition of mitigation and remediation measures;

G. Audit systems;

H. among others.

The Plan must be prepared jointly by the Secretariat of Water Resources, the Secretariat of Public Services, the Secretariat of the Environment, the Provincial Administration of Water Resources, with the special participation in said task of the INA-CIRSA.

At Fundeps, we feel very optimistic about this resolution, appropriate and timely regarding the serious water crisis that we are experiencing and particularly the critical situation of the San Roque Lake basin. We consider that this is also an important precedent in environmental judicial matters, and a hopeful resolution for the group of people who defend the environment in the province of Córdoba.

More information

Presentamos un amparo ambiental por la contaminación del lago San Roque

Diagnóstico Situacional de los Recursos Hídricos de Córdoba: Río Suquía 

Diagnóstico Situacional de los Recursos Hídricos de Córdoba: Lago Los Molinos y Dique San Roque 

 

Autors

María Laura Carrizo Morales

Ananda Lavayen

Contacto

lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

 

*Photo taken from the digital newspaper El Independiente

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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.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

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

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

This document seeks to analyze the current status of Lake San Roque and Lake Los Molinos from a comprehensive approach, from various sources of information. The objective is to achieve a complete understanding of the dimension of the problem and, based on this, weigh the measures and actions of prevention, mitigation and recomposition that it demands.

Descargar Documento / Download File