An abandoned oil well in Salta is causing an environmental crisis in the middle of native forest, and Greenpeace denounces it as an “Argentine Chernobyl”.
The organization even traveled to the site, in Puesto Guardián, to witness the disaster firsthand.
The area is crucial, as it is considered a “Priority Ecosystem for Conservation” of the Salta forest.
However, today this place truly resembles the Argentine Chernobyl, and the images are shocking.
There, about 350 animals have already died, while nearby families had to flee, and toxic gases and liquids continue to seep into the air and water.
The “Argentine Chernobyl”: the story of neglect of the abandoned oil well
It is a well called Lomas del Olmedo X-10, abandoned about two years ago by the company that exploited it for nearly three decades, President Petroleum S.A.
This British corporation with operations in the country was declared bankrupt in August of this year following its own request, leading it to abandon its wells.
Therefore, today, the Salta exploitation is no man’s land, and the lack of maintenance is leaking liquids and emitting gases uncontrollably.
This occurs in the middle of an area declared as a Priority Ecosystem for Conservation by the province.
However, this seems only a title: there, hundreds of flora and fauna specimens have already died, destroying the forest in what Greenpeace called an “Argentine Chernobyl.”
Toxic fluids and gases contaminate the ecosystem
The site is located just 250 kilometers from the Salta capital, in an area situated in the transition between the Dry Chaco and the Yungas Forest.
Currently, the contamination already affects more than 20 hectares and has caused the displacement of entire families.
In particular, in the last six months, the situation has worsened dramatically, with a landscape of dead nature surrounding it.
Today, the fluids and gases emanating from the abandoned well form a dense toxic cloud that envelops the forest.
This contamination has left hundreds of dead animals and dozens of families without their homes.
The air in the area has become unbreathable for people and animals, while the water tables are also being contaminated.
The risks of the abandoned oil well: threatened species
This ecosystem harbors key species such as the anteater, the collared peccary, the ocelot, and the Chacoan aquatic turtle.
Among the threatened birds are the rhea, the Muscovy duck, the crowned eagle, and the orange-breasted falcon.
Now, this region’s vast biodiversity faces a risk of irreversible destruction.
Additionally, the intensified leakage of high-pressure gases increases the danger of fires in nearby forests.
The inhabitants, for their part, have evacuated their homes and are demanding urgent actions from provincial and national authorities.
The responsible company withdrew without offering solutions.
Greenpeace’s denunciation of the “Argentine Chernobyl”
To witness this story firsthand, Greenpeace Argentina recently traveled to the well and showed the desolate images of the place: everything dead.
This is how Matías Arrigazzi, a biodiversity specialist at Greenpeace, described it, who had to approach the area with a mask to avoid intoxication.
“It’s full of dead animals around, as one approaches the well, there is a nauseating smell,” he says about the area’s biodiversity.
Additionally, there is “a deafening noise, which is the gases escaping at high pressure from the well,” he details.
This is observed in the video shared by Greenpeace on its networks, a dead, contaminated area with an expanding risk.
“We are in a place where we couldn’t remove the mask because it’s unbreathable and surrounded by dead nature, everything is dead,” Arrigazzi determined harshly.
And he was conclusive: “There are no more animals, the plants are dead”.
“Although the locals denounce this environmental disaster, there are still no changes,” Arrigazzi explained.
This is because “the responsible company did not provide solutions and withdrew from the site”.
In response, Greenpeace launched a campaign to close the abandoned oil well in Salta.
The environmental organization calls on the public to join the demand for the restoration of the area with a signature collection.
Those who wish to participate in this request can sign the NGO’s petition through the following link: Greenpeace #NoOilInTheForest.
