Mining pollution would be the cause of fish mortality in the Carare river, in Santander

Since last Sunday, April 17, the inhabitants of the municipality of Cimitarra, in Santander, have reported a great death of fish in the Carare river. Although the causes were initially unknown, the Santander Environmental Corporation (CAS) established that the death of animals could be the result of contamination of the tributary with material from mining activities.

It should be recalled that, through a video shared on social networks, the peasants of Cimitarra announced how hundreds of fish, including Catfish, Bocachicos, Blanquillos and other species, were found dead on the banks of the Carare River.

Following complaints from the community, the Environmental Corporation of Santander carried out an inspection along the Carare River, in which the environmental authority determined that the high mortality of the fish in the tributary would have been caused by pollution of mining waste.

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For his part, the director general of the Corporation, Alexcevith Acosta Sánchez, assured that they have already notified the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Boyacá (Corpoboyacá) and the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca (CAR) to coordinate a joint work table, in order to establish an action plan to prevent it from continuing with the death of fish occurring in the Carare river.

According to the official, to date, the municipalities of Santander, in addition to Cimitarra, which have been most affected by the pollution of material from mining activities, are: La Belleza, Landázuri and Puerto Parra.

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The regional coordinator of CAS in Vélez added in his interview with Blu Radio that they also summoned the Santander Agriculture Secretariat, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), and the “mayors of the municipalities of La Belleza, Sucre, Puerto Parra and others nearby to analyze the situation and take action. ”.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Cimitarra and other municipalities near the Carare River, called on the environmental authorities to implement actions to prevent the further occurrence of fish mortality in the tributary.

According to the community, this would be the second episode of its kind to be reported so far in 2022. The first case of fish mortality occurred on March 1 in the La Cascajera ravine, and in the village of La India, in the municipality of Cimitarra.

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