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ELAW U.S. 1877 Garden Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97403 Phone 541.687.8454 Fax 541.687.0535 [email protected] www.elaw.org Winning Clean Water for Peru’s Achuar For thousands of years, the Achuar indig- r r enous people of the Northern Amazon rainforests in present-day Peru lived relatively undisturbed. Starting in the early 1970s, multinational oil companies began drilling for oil and dumping contaminated by-products into rivers. These toxins caused the Achuar serious liver, kidney and skin diseases and killed off fish, plants, and animals. Despite overwhelming evidence, Peru’s government was slow to respond. Basta! (Enough!) For more than a decade, Peruvian lawyer and ELAW partner Lily La Torre has been helping the Achuar in their fight for environmental justice. “The law favors progress, but not at all costs. If oil is to be legitimate, so too must the process by which it is produced,” says La Torre. In 2002, ELAW scientists helped conduct the first independent water quality analysis of the Corrientes River. The results showed high levels of oil and grease, barium, chlorides, sodium, and other pollutants directly related to oil extraction. A few months ago, La Torre and ELAW scientists shared this information with Peru’s Ministry of Health and oil company representatives. The law favors progress, but not at all costs. If oil is to be legitimate, so must the process by which it is produced. Achuar march for clean water. PHOTO: FECONACO, Racimos de Ungurahui Victoria! (Victory!) On October 24, 2006, the largest offending oil company signed an agreement requiring it to: • Stop discharging effluents in the rivers • Invest $20 million in environmental clean-up projects • Build a new hospital • Contribute to a multi-million dollar health fund for the Achuar • Donate 5 percent of all oil royalties for food production and education • Provide a one-year emergency food supply to communities affected by the impact on fish and wildlife. IMPACT
