Following the damning report last month documenting 18 major spills from Pluspetrol operations in the Corrientes river, this new video from our partners in Peru documents a major new spill of over 400 barrels of crude from Pluspetrol operations on the Chambira river from January 16th this year. These spills come from Oil Blocks 1-AB and 8 and an ageing infrastructure that dates from the 1970s that has been operated by Argentine oil company Pluspetrol since 1998. This recent spill on the Chambira follows a major spill on the Marañon river, downriver from the Chambira, in June last year that affected dozens of communities downriver.
The spill on the Chambira appears to be in an area of humedal – wetland forest ecosystem which remains partially flooded for most of the year. Humedales are important hunting and fish-spawning grounds and are the source of the Amazon tributaries. The Kukama and Urarina indigenous communities are particularly concerned about the impact on their health and wildlife, and the buildup of heavy metals and other toxins in the rivers and the food chain.
There are clearly major problems with an ageing infrastructure in Blocks 1-AB and 8 and an urgent need to stop the ongoing spills as this environmental catastrophe continues to pose a major risk to the lives of indigenous communities and the health of the Amazon rainforest in this region.
El Comercio article from the ground.
