Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Salvador (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic Church in El Salvador, on Sunday, called for an "effective response" to the case of a community in the north-east of the country that has been contaminated because of lead emitted by a privately-owned factory of automotive batteries, which has since been closed.
"The pollution in that area is a great cause for concern. Now we're seeing it as a positive fact, that attention is being given to the phenomenon and I hope that an effective response will be given and that it will not remain in merely good intentions," said Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas of San Salvador during his usual news conference on Sunday.
Indeed, due to the high level of pollution produced by the battery factory, on Thursday the Ministry of Environment declared a “state of environmental emergency" in the area of Sitio del Niño, municipality of San Juan Opico, a community located about 35 km northeast of San Salvador.
The state of emergency calls for the immediate attention of those affected by the contaminating material, mitigation activities, and mobilization of resources to mitigate the environmental impact in the area.
"We are really worried, not only just now, but since the problem appeared, as it has existed for several years and we congratulate the authorities for taking these emergency measures," said Archbishop Escobar Alas. (The first complaint the Archdiocese made in this regard was in 2007. The factory was closed, but never dismantled, as it was abandoned.)
According to the local press, in the Sitio del Niño, municipality of San Juan Opico, the Ministry of Health along with a specialist staff assists 121 children with lead poisoning and it has also closed (as a precaution) several wells to prevent people from consuming contaminated water.
The Archbishop of San Salvador has called for justice, as those affected are "very humble" and because "it is unjust to cause a serious harm to the environment that directly affects the health of people," as he stated in a press conference on Sunday.
According to the Environment Minister, Herman Rosa Chavez, the tests performed with the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, found places with the levels between 30,000 and 40,000 lead parts per million particles, when the law's limit is 400 parts per million particles. The emergency area declared by the MARN (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) covers an area of 1,500 meters from the facilities of the factory closed, but includes about 700 homes with a population of 4,000 inhabitants in the area. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 24/08/2010)
