The Environment Minister, Modesto Montoya Zavaleta, stated that what he said regarding the spill of at least 34 tons of zinc concentrate into the Chillón River was “misunderstood”.
As recalled, the Minister of the Environment told Exitosa that, according to scientific information, “for human beings there is no risk, but for fish it can cause problems.”
In a dialogue with Correo, Montoya Zavaleta rectified this statement and asserted that harm to people is a possibility if the contaminated water is ingested, but argued that this will not happen because the residents of the affected area “do not consume water from the Chillón but from a spring that comes through a pipe”. In addition, he revealed that although this pipe was affected by the accident, it was repaired and the service has been restored.
He also said that the water supply in the northern area of Lima would not be affected either, since “at this time no water is being taken from the Chillón because it is supplied by wells from Sedapal.”
AFFECTED FISH FARMERS
Montoya revealed that in addition to the palpable damage to the environment, he said that the fish farmers in the area are the most affected because, apart from the dead fish, those that survived are no longer fit for human consumption.
“The company is expected to compensate the fish farmers who are going to stop obtaining the corresponding income,” he asserted.
In this sense, he announced that the company responsible for the accident is building dikes so that the heavy metals settle and then the bottom is cleaned to try to recover the area affected by the spill.
Finally, he stressed that the remediation work being carried out by the company that caused the accident has nothing to do with the fines and penalties that will be imposed and that, in addition, it must compensate the population.
