PILCOMAYO RIVER POLLUTION ATTRACTS NEW ATTENTION

UNCLAS LA PAZ 002934 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/AND LPETRONI BRASILIA FOR JSTORY AND LSTONER USAID/LAC FOR AFRANCO, MSILVERMAN, RLOUDIS, AND JBISSON USAID/EGAT FOR CJACKSON, ANE FOR JWILSON COMMERCE FOR JANGLIN TREASURY FOR SGOOCH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EMIN ECON BL SUBJECT: PILCOMAYO RIVER POLLUTION ATTRACTS NEW ATTENTION REF: LA PAZ 2903 ¶1. (U) Summary: For centuries, mining and milling wastes from Bolivia's Potosi mining district have polluted the Pilcomayo River, an important body of water in Bolivia's southwest. A recent study indicated that many agricultural fields and waterways are contaminated with heavy metals and arsenic, which may have long-term implications for local communities. Past proposals to address the river's pollution have generated few results, but a new initiative from the USAID-supported Center for the Promotion of Sustainable Technologies may change that. End summary. BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (U) Bolivia's Pilcomayo River rises in the foothills of the Andean cordillera, between the western departments of Oruro and Potosi, and flows southeast - crossing the Bolivian departments of Chuquisaca and Tarija, the Argentine province of Formosa, and the Gran Chaco plains of Paraguay - to join the Paraguay River near Asuncion. Its watershed covers 270,000 square kilometers and encompasses an estimated 1.5 million people: one million in Bolivia, 300,000 in Argentina, and 200,000 in Paraguay. ¶3. (U) The river drains the Potosi mining district, a region exploited since the mid-1500s for its rich silver and tin deposits. Colonial mills using mercury-based processing techniques may have released several hundred tons of mercury into the Pilcomayo River and its tributaries every year; today, approximately 30 to 40 mills continue to release contaminated effluents and mine tailings directly into local waterways. STUDY PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF CONTAMINATION -------------- ¶4. (U) A 1998-2002 study by researchers from five British and American universities indicated that many agricultural fields and waterways are contaminated with heavy metals (silver, cadmium, copper, lead, antimony, and zinc) and arsenic; concentrations of these elements in most crops and drinking water samples fall within guidelines, but heavy metal concentrations in irrigation waters occasionally exceed recommended values, which suggest that crops and soils have been exposed to elevated levels of toxic metals. ¶5. (U) The pollution may have long-term implications for local communities, which rely on the Pilcomayo River for drinking and irrigation water. Residents may be exposed to toxic metals through the ingestion of contaminated water; the consumption of livestock that drink polluted water; and the ingestion of contaminated soil particles, particularly those attached to and consumed with locally grown vegetables. A NEW PLAN TO ADDRESS POLLUTION -------------- ¶6. (U) Past proposals to address the Pilcomayo River's pollution have generated few results, but a new initiative from the USAID-supported Center for the Promotion of Sustainable Technologies (known by its Spanish acronym, CPTS) may change that. Known for its efforts to redesign companies' production processes to improve water and energy efficiency, cut production costs, and minimize environmental damage (reftel),CPTS has now turned its attention to the Potosi mining district. Project Director Justo Zapata told Econoff October 18 that the organization hopes to re-process mine tailings to remove damaging components and recover additional minerals, including lead, zinc, and silver. Successful project implementation could prevent the daily release of thousands of tons of tailings into the region's waterways and generate significant revenues through the sale of recovered minerals. With local and international support, Zapata said, the project could significantly reduce environmental degradation. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (U) The CPTS proposal may be among the most potentially effective efforts to date to address the pollution of the Pilcomayo River and its tributaries. If the project is successful, it could provide a model for mining districts across Bolivia, help prevent future contamination, and improve the lives of many thousands of people. GOLDBERG