2023-05-18 19:21:00
The vision, often limited from what is closest to us, prevents us from seeing all this set of actions that affect the environment, which is why very few actions have been seen, often isolated when it comes to natural resources, such as rivers, which is really where we should focus because, basically, these natural currents, with which they provide us with ‘vital liquid’ within Riobamba, that should be our concern, especially so that, in some way, the flows can be guaranteed and drinking water supplies. One of the most polluted rivers
With the passage of time, in the ‘Ciudad Sultana’, in full view of all, an evident environmental deterioration has been appreciated, and a clear example of this is the state of the natural resources, one of many It is the Chibunga River, which is one of the most polluted rivers in Ecuador. And this situation shows that the ‘Urbe Bonita’ is at a critical point, since the environmental issue has not been handled adequately, the pertinent steps have not been carried out as they should have been done a long time ago, despite the fact that the problems are perceived in the light of day and, to date, the pertinent permits for the construction and operation of the Chibunga wastewater treatment plant have not been generated.
Context. The Chibunga River is born from the slopes located on the slopes of the Chimborazo volcano, descends through the páramos of El Arenal until it reaches agricultural areas in the sector of the San Juan parish. The course of this river represents one of the water resources with the greatest incidence in the development of Riobamba. However, for approximately 10 years, according to studies carried out by the Higher Polytechnic School of Chimborazo (Espoch), it is considered one of the 4 most polluted rivers in the country. Because the natural stream receives all the wastewater discharges, since the sewerage master plan has not yet been executed, today the situation means that bathing or getting into the river is impossible, because it is full of sewage, he said. Benito Mendoza, PhD in Hydrology and Hydrogeology
There is irreparable damage!
The body of water, that is, the river, is a living body, because life lives there, there are animals, plants and microbiota that live naturally in that space, so the first impact is directly on the natural resource. The second affectation is water quality: Riobamba is a city that depends on agriculture and most of the ‘vital liquid’ that lies in the Chibunga river is used in the areas from San Juan to San Luis as irrigation water; So, in this way the fields of strawberries, lettuce and other foods are contaminated, which are what citizens can eat directly, and this fact causes gastrointestinal diseases to appear at the population level; In addition, the use of fertilizers around the river has even caused cancerous diseases to occur. On the other hand, it does not allow people to have a place where the public can go to entertain themselves, well, long ago people could go to the river to play and have leisure time, and today that is impossible, due to circumstances unfortunate in which this space is located, so this represents a harmful effect on mental and comprehensive health.
Namely. The Chibunga River is highly polluted, “even thinking about reversing the damage would take us many years, not even this generation will be able to see that basin recovered, because an extreme has been reached in which the damage has become irreversible, and it is a reality that we live right now,” said Gabriela Banegas, an environmental activist. The large amount of garbage around the river has become a source of infection for the place; For this reason, at the level of civil society, in a democratic process, much thought should be given to comprehensive public policies that solve and regulate these problems.
#polluted #rivers