La Oroya: sulfur contents in air exceed historical levels around Doe Run smelter
The health and environmental crisis in La Oroya, a central highland mining town dubbed “Slow Chernobyl” for the appalling environmental impact of contamination generated by a U.S.-run smelter, reached a new stage last week when record-breaking levels of sulfur dioxide were detected, daily El Comercio reported Tuesday.In La Oroya, located 180 kilometers, or about 112 miles, east of Lima, a poly-metallic smelter and refinery complex has been spewing clouds of toxic lead, copper, zinc and sulfur dioxide-filled smoke for more than 80 years. In the valley, where the surrounding limestone mountains have been stained black and burned bare of vegetation by acid rain, 99 percent of children have dangerously high blood lead levels.. […]Feature - Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Volunteer in Lima Peru
Video - Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008
President Garcia declares 30-day state of emergency to quell indigenous protests in Amazon
President Alan Garcia declared a 30-day state of emergency in three Amazonian provinces and one department after negotiations between Environment Minister Antonio Brack and indigenous rights groups broke down Friday and a violent confrontation left eight police officers and one protester injured on Sunday.
Legislative Decree Nº 058-2008-PCM, which was published Monday in official state daily […]
Energy, Environment, Feature, Human Rights, Mining, Politics - Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Peru’s environment minister tries to negotiate end of indigenous tribe’s takeover of Amazon gas facilities
A high-level negotiation commission headed by Environment Minister Antonio Brack met with representatives of Amazonian indigenous communities in San Lorenzo Thursday to negotiate terms for talks that the government hopes will end a week-long strike and occupation of Argentine-operated Pluspetrol’s natural gas facilities.
The strike continued peacefully for a sixth consecutive day Thursday as protesters continued […]
Andean Region, Business, Energy, Environment, Flora & Fauna, Human Rights, Lima, Politics - Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008
Former Peruvian army officer’s deportation from U.S. to Peru imminent to face massacre charges
Retired Peruvian army Maj. Juan Rivera Rondón, an alleged accomplice to the 1985 Accomarca massacre of 69 Indian peasants in Peru’s southern Andes, will be deported to Peru from the United States Friday, said Karin Ninaquispe, a lawyer representing the victims.
“The Accomarca victims’ family members had to wait 23 years for justice to be done,” […]
Crime, Human Rights, Insurgency, Law & Justice - Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008
Ollanta Humala acknowledges hand in indigenous protests in Peru’s Amazon
Ollanta Humala, the leader of Peru’s left-leaning nationalist opposition party, has admitted having a hand in the more than week-long strike and occupation of Amazonian natural gas facilities to protest government decrees that indigenous rights groups say are promoting unrestricted oil exploration while stripping their full rights to control communal lands.
“We can’t say that there […]
Andean Region, Lima, Politics - Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Peruvians in earthquake devastated zone protest lack of reconstruction a year later
Hundreds of angry residents carrying pots, pans, whistles and cardboard caskets took to the streets Friday in Pisco, Chincha and Ica, some of the towns hardest hit by the magnitude-8 earthquake that ravaged Peru’s southern coast on August 15 last year, to protest Peru president Alan García’s slow reconstruction efforts.
In Pisco, where some 50 families […]
Feature, Natural Disasters, Politics - Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008
Lake Titicaca water level at five-year low due to lack of rain
Water levels in Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America and the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, recently hit a five-year low and continue to drop by an average of 0.5 centimeters per day because of an unusually dry dry spell in Puno, said meteorologist Hernán Saavedra, the Director of the Peru’s […]
Climate Change, Environment, Flora & Fauna - Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008
Peru president deflects criticism of earthquake relief effort ahead of one-year anniversary protest
President Alan García headed this week to Pisco and Chincha — two of the towns hardest hit by the magnitude-8 earthquake that ravaged Peru’s southern coast. He went to assess progress in the reconstruction effort, but also to deflect criticism that a year after the disaster his government has botched the job of rebuilding.
“Of course […]
Accidents, Environment, Feature, Politics - Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008
