PBI-Colombia accompanies CREDHOS at oil spill in Brisas del Oriente channel

On May 4, CREDHOS tweeted:

“#CREDHOS accompanied Fedepesan on an inspection visit to the Brisas del Oriente channel, where the flora and fauna were affected by an oil spill that covered nearly 8 kilometers of the water body. #35YearsDefendingLife.”

Vanguardia reports: “The spill began in the Brisas del Oriente pipe, located between communes 6 and 7 of Barrancabermeja, but the oil slick has spread to the Pozo Siete sector.”

Caracol Radio has also reported:

“Pollution is advancing in the Brisas del Oriente stream, located in commune 6 of Barrancabermeja.

The emergency has been presented since last Monday [May 2] after the spill of hydrocarbon by a tanker truck and has already caused strong effects on the fauna and flora of the area.

“That dumping has reached water well 7 and has had aquatic fauna with a negative impact. We are with the CAS [the Environmental Corporation of Santander], the Environmental Police to make the contingency and Ecopetrol is collaborating with us, which is the expert on the subject,” said Humberto Vargas, Secretary of Environment of Barrancabermeja.

The intervention of the authorities in the ravine seeks to retain the path of the hydrocarbon.”

In April 2021, Yuli Andrea Velázquez of the Federation of Artisan, Environmental and Tourism Fishermen of Santander (FEDEPESAN) participated in a PBI-Canada organized webinar along with Ivan Madero from CREDHOS, Oscar Sampayo of CRY-GEAM and others.

In this Enlace television report, Yuli speaks about this spill at Brisas del Oriente. Her organization highlights: “We call on the competent authority, the Ministry of the Environment, the Autonomous Corporation of Santander to address this situation, because our water sources cannot continue to be contaminated.”

And Oscar tells Blu Radio: “We express our concern about the presence of hydrocarbons that is currently observed on the wetland. The strangest thing is that Ecopetrol has no operations, no transport lines. In the area affected by the oil spill, we ask the CAS [the Environmental Corporation of Santander] for an investigation.”

Semana further warns: “This tributary reaches the sector of Pozo Siete which, in turn, flows into the Magdalena River. That is, if the passage of crude oil is not stopped in time, it could reach the latter and trigger an environmental emergency of greater proportions.”

PBI-Colombia has accompanied the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS) since 1994.