Environmentalists warn Lima oil spill could have caused environmental catastrophe

Lima, Peru – Experts and environmentalists have been warning of the grave environmental hazards caused by an oil spill from a refinery in the city of Lima, Peru over a month ago.

The authorities have launched a campaign to clean the sea that was affected by the spill.

Environmentalists and veterinarians have reported the continued loss of life amongst flora and fauna, warning that people are also subject to getting an infection by the chemicals.

They lamented that the local authorities are not doing enough to tackle the grave issue that threatens the ecosystem in the country’s capital.

Raúl Berenguel, who is a veterinarian, said that the spill has many consequences to the country, as the death doll amongst animals is still unclear.

He said that the issue could be tackled with more concerted efforts between different national institutions, adding that the lack of coordination severely hamstrings the recovery efforts.

“As a State institution, I believe that actions should be more organized with other institutions to have a faster management and action plan with a quicker response,” Berenguel said.

Fishermen complained that despite the improvement in fishing following the suffering they saw during the pandemic, the oil spill added insult to injury.

For the safety of people, officials recommended not to have direct contact with animals.

Pedro Alvares, a fisherman from Bahía Blanca, went to the water trying to solve the issue and came back with pain in his lungs after seeing dead birds in the area, amid lack of any medical intervention.

“The first time I went into the sea to see the dead birds here, I felt a pain in my lungs. When I came back, I felt tired and I thought that it couldn’t be COVID. I’ve even defecated blood, and who would check on my health? No one,” Alvares said.

Meanwhile, the president of the NGO SOA Peru, Stefanie Torres, said that “at least 3,000 families are affected from artisanal fishermen who live from the extraction of fish to small merchants such as kiosk owners and small vendors who live off what people buy from them at the beaches.”

She referred to organization’s efforts made in order to tackle the oil spill, especially theirs.

“The SOA Peru is more focused on the issue of youth empowerment and the training of young people in ocean conservation. We have prioritized collaborating with people directly as an objective since in these cases we realize how what we do to the ecosystem will end up harming us.”