Communities in Ecuador fight back against palm oil
Communities in Ecuador fight back against palm oil
by Alejandro Pérez on 3 January 2020 | Translated by Romina Castagnino
Fifteen years ago, Martha Valencia relied on the nearby river for water and for food. But then oil palm crops arrived in the area and polluted the river, say Martha and her neighbors. The community took the oil palm grower to court, which ultimately resulted in a ruling in their favor.
“It is determined that there had been serious environmental effects in the territory of the communities … which should have been prevented by the Ecuadorian government,” the ruling read, and a judge ordered compensation for those affected.
That was two years ago. And Martha and her neighbors say they are still waiting for things to change.
No clean water
The river and the community, both named La Chiquita, are located within the municipality of San Lorenzo in the Esmeraldas province of Ecuador. Logging and oil palm plantations, in addition to its proximity to the Colombian border where drug trafficking and armed conflict is rife, contribute to the area’s dubious honor of having the highest levels of poverty and violence in the country.
Every eight to 15 days, the municipality sends a water truck to La Chiquita. The tank fills a 1,500-liter blue plastic tank “but not even that water is clean. We were told by the Municipality to put chlorine before drinking it,” says Olga, another community member.
More:
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/communities-in-ecuador-fight-back-against-palm-oil/
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