Indigenous peoples and the Catholic Church have denounced the pollution and scarcity of water intended for human consumption.
At the Amazon Water Summit in Iquitos, nearly 400 delegates from different countries highlighted the indifference and insensitivity of governments towards serious river pollution, organised crime and the murder of water defenders.
Around 400 representatives of indigenous peoples, peasant communities, bishops, pastoral teams and civil society institutions from ten countries and 14 regions of Peru gathered in the city of Iquitos (Loreto) for three days to participate in the Amazon Water Summit. The aim of the summit was to share experiences and concerns regarding water care and access.
Testimonies were presented at the event on the impact of pollution on rivers, and various commitments were made to protect this vital resource for the millions of people living in the Amazon region.
The summit also served to highlight the severe drinking water crisis affecting the Amazon region. Particular attention was given to the situation of communities living alongside rivers, who suffer the direct impact of pollution and scarcity of this resource.
This crisis is primarily caused by the increasing pollution of Amazonian rivers due to mining and oil extraction, coupled with deforestation. This triple threat has led not only to a shortage of water suitable for consumption, but also to the poisoning of indigenous communities — a reality that, according to those in attendance, is being ignored at an international level.
The Declaration for the Right to Water emerged from these meetings, under the slogan ‘We are water, we are life, we are hope’. The document highlights governments’ indifference and insensitivity to the serious pollution of rivers, the expansion of organised crime and the murder of water defenders.
It also urges the authorities to adopt effective policies that benefit the Amazon and enable necessary changes to be made. It suggests documenting evidence of pollution’s impact on people and the environment to inform the design of response measures and the development of fair, transformative public policies.
The Catholic Church’s role
The Amazon Water Summit was promoted by the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos, in collaboration with the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), the Churches and Mining Network, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), the Amazonian Centre for Anthropology and Practical Application (CAAAP), the Laudato Si’ Movement, the Solidarity Forum Peru, the Moore Foundation and the Amazon Water Foundation. The event was also supported by Adveniat, Misereor, WCS and Porticus.
Those in attendance included Cardinal Carlos Castillo, Cardinal Pedro Barreto and bishops such as Monsignor Miguel Ángel Cadenas (Iquitos), as well as representatives from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
‘For 11 years, we have been working in a pan-Amazonian ecclesial network. We have an Ecclesial Conference that includes the nine Amazonian countries. The Church is making a joint effort to coordinate not only in strictly ecclesial areas, but also with the business and social sectors,” said Cardinal Barreto.
Source: SPDA – Actualidad Ambiental (Spanish)
