The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has posted on social media:
“ARCAH receives the embassies of France, Germany and Colombia, on a walk to contemplate the degradation situation of the Choluteca River: the river that resists death.
On the tour, accompanied by PBI Honduras, the ambassadors and representatives of the embassies were able to observe first-hand the pollution, smells and water density, which the communities attribute to the toxic waste of the El Cortijo poultry farm.
Maria️ ‘Skin infections, allergies and respiratory problems’ are just some of the symptoms activist Maria Banegas mentioned during the visit. ‘We want our children to know what it’s like to play in a clean river again.’”
On March 3, PBI-Honduras and PBI-Canada visited with the Honduran Alternative for Community and Environmental Vindication (ARCAH) in the village Loarque, a community has been affected by the pollution caused by the poultry company El Cortijo, including the contamination of the Choluteca River.
Choluteca River
In January 2023, PBI-Honduras posted on social media: “Last week we visited again with ARCAH the community of Loarque. The Choluteca River and the people living around it in Tegucigalpa are heavily affected by the pollution, including the children who study in a school located nearby, as well as livestock. Since 2017, the year in which the poultry company ‘El Cortijo’ installed a chicken processor, people residing in the area are struggling to safeguard their health due to toxic waste and bad smells.”
In April 2024, the HCH TV channel reported: “Residents of the Loarque sector came out to defend the Choluteca River because they claim that a company in the sector is destroying it. …The residents denounce that this company is causing them discomfort in their nose and skin as a result of the contamination. They hope that authorities will regulate this company that operates in this sector.”
At that time El Heraldo also noted: “The demonstrators claim that the Choluteca River, which passes through the sector, is being affected by waste, so they demand the intervention of environmental authorities.”
Accompaniment
Peace Brigades International has accompanied the Honduran Alternative for Community and Environmental Vindication (ARCAH) since September 2022.
