In October 2024, the Supreme Court finalized its intervention in the case of the Riachuelo contamination, known as the “Mendoza case.”
This generated rejection from organizations representing the affected individuals, who at the time filed a new legal recourse.
Now, due to the lack of responses, a complaint against the State has been filed. It was presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for “violating the rights of residents affected by contamination.”
Riachuelo contamination: new complaint and demands
Riachuelo contamination.[/caption>
The complaint was led by the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) and the Citizen Association for Human Rights (ACDH), the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN), among others.
In the presentation to the Organization of American States (OAS), they request precautionary measures for the State to take actions to “immediately protect the health of the basin’s inhabitants.”
Additionally, they demand that “the measures ordered in the 2008 ruling to improve quality of life” be continued.
The organizations also presented a diagnosis of the current situation of the works in the basin. The works began after the historic ruling by the Court, 20 years ago, which ordered the governments of the City and Province of Buenos Aires, as well as the National State through ACUMAR, to repair the damage caused by contamination to the families living along the Riachuelo.
The statement indicates that until October of last year, when the Court decided overnight to close its intervention in the case, ACUMAR itself acknowledged that the execution of the housing solutions reached only 42% of the total affected families.
The situation of the residents
“I had so much hope before and now the Supreme Court has disappointed me,” Claudia EspÃnola, a community leader from Villa Inflamable, a neighborhood of about 3000 families, told globalpressjournal.
The situation facing the residents.
Simón Ibáñez, another resident whose house frequently floods, recounted the dramatic situation to the same outlet. He carries his 72-year-old mother on his back and advances as best he can to his brother’s house, which is in a higher area. His mother has already fallen once, although not during an evacuation. He fears she might slip and break another bone.
ACUMAR: 400 employees laid off
Following the “closure” of the case, ACUMAR underwent a strong movement, undergoing a process of adjustment, similar to other state dependencies.
Last year, workers reported mass layoffs. In the early hours of March 1st, as they indicated, notifications were sent to about 400 people.
They claim there were no legitimate justifications in any of the cases, which also raises a big question about how the comprehensive plan for cleaning of the basin will continue.
The 16-year-old case of Riachuelo contamination.
“In addition to the more than 100 layoffs in 2024, the organization is facing a 50% reduction in its workforce,” they pointed out.
“With this, the dismantling of the organization progresses, dedicated to the comprehensive sanitation plan, halting actions for monitoring environmental quality, controlling polluting companies, waste management, flood prevention, health and environmental education, housing, and community strengthening areas,” the statement highlights.
Furthermore, it clarifies that they operate in a territory with over 8 million inhabitants.
