CPTnet
December 12, 2003
COLOMBIA: Ecological Disaster on the Opon River

The Opon community held its breath for four days at the end of last month,
as a large barge moved through the zone. The barge was manned by thirteen
men and five women believed to be members of the illegal gas cartel that
operates out of Barrancabermeja, a center of petroleum production. Because
the cartel is said to be connected to paramilitary organizations, community
members feared they might be caught in the middle of a fire fight when the
barge returned down river with its stolen cargo. The FARC, a guerilla
group, and the Colombian Armed Forces are also present in the zone.

The team first came upon the barge on Friday, November 28, tied up outside
a home while suspected cartel members cooked breakfast in the family's
kitchen and lounged in their yard. Team members spoke with the visitors
about the threat of violence possibly erupting because of their presence,
and remained with the family until the barge had moved on upriver. In the
days following, the team monitored the situation as events unfolded.

On Sunday, November 30, team members located the barge-- now laden with
gasoline, varsol, and other chemicals tied up in Upper Los Neques. They saw
no one. For the next twenty four hours, the community and the team
wondered what might happen next.

What did happen took everyone by surprise. The water level in the river
went down suddenly and the barge, which had been tied too tightly, upended,
spilling its cargo into the river. When the Team returned to Upper Los
Neques on Monday, the water was slick with chemicals, and a sickening smell
hung in the air.

After documenting what happened, the team notified the local "Defender of
the People," a government human rights office, that there had been an
ecological disaster on the Opon River. In a written submission to a network
of government agencies working in the Magdalena Medio region, the team
members expressed their concerns about the threats that water contamination
posed for human and the lives of other species.

The Colombian Marine Forces inspected the site of the spill, but no further
government action has been taken as of December 10, 2003. A Commission to
the area planned for December 10th was cancelled at the last minute.
Ironically, people celebrate this date world-wide as International Human
Rights Day.

The barge is still partly submerged, and some odor remains, though the
gasoline and chemicals have dispersed. Community members are once again
using river water for drinking and cleaning. CPT-Colombia will continue to
monitor the site, and follow up with Columbian authorities.