El Comercio journalists were in Urubamba for three weeks. They visited 11 native communities. The energy tax fund of 300 million soles isn’t being invested in development of the area. The State isn’t fulfilling its oversight role and is absent from communities.
Balance in Danger
El Comercio verified the absence of fish in the rivers. It is feared that the rate of malnutrition is rising.
A team of journalists from this Newspaper visited the Machiguenga communities of the Upper and Lower Urubamba Basin (Cuzco) in order to explore the impacts sustained from installation of the Camisea gas pipeline. They discovered there are more than 11 thousand native peoples vulnerable to the environmental and social impacts created by the project’s implementation.
Leaders of communities have reported the appearance of sicknesses such as syphilis. Some of the companies in charge of the project have not assumed their environmental obligations, resulting in harmful consequences. Among other things, they leave garbage near the pipeline, don’t remove hydrocarbon absorbent rags, and fail to dismantle bridges installed to transport materials.
In the following days, El Comercio will issue a series of reports documenting in detail the situation of these communities; how energy tax funds totaling some 300 million soles are being used; and how the State, despite the Camisea project’s importance for the country, has absolutely no presence in the zone.
