Peru: Protestors March For Water
Peru: Protestors March For Water
Written by: Latinamerica Press
February 19, 2012
Several hundred protesters marched 800 kilometers (500 miles) to Lima from the northern highland city of Cajamarca, the center of unrest over a contentious mining project, to demand that the government guarantee access to clean and safe water for the country’s citizens.
Marco Arana, former priest and head of the Land and Liberty Movement, and one of the organizers of the Feb. 1-10 march, said one of the demonstrators’ demands was for the government to amend the constitution to declare water a human right and ban mining in riverheads and near glaciers as well as the use of mercury and cyanide in these operations.
The two chemicals are used to extract minerals, particularly gold, from ore.
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Gregorio Santos, president of the Cajamarca region, said that the march is bringing more visibility to risks in mining. Cajamarca is home to Minera Yanacocha, owned by US company Newmont Mining, Peru’s Buenaventura and the International Finance Corporation, and which operates one of the world’s largest gold mines.
More:
http://www.eurasiareview.com/19022012-peru-protestors-march-for-water/