Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Book Boat Cannot Dump Garbage at Sea

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

GUATEMALA CITY, Mar 10 2003 (IPS) - The “book boat” Logos II will not be allowed to dump solid waste in the waters of Quetzal port, on the Pacific. The ship is to anchor there Mar 18 to Apr 7 to sell books, Lourdes Gálvez, Guatemala's environment ministry spokeswoman, told Tierramérica. The ship, more than 109 meters long, is traveling with a crew of 400 people who, along with the public, produce a great deal of garbage every day, says Miriam de León, of Transmares, the firm representing Logos II.

This giant floating bookstore carries more than 4,000 titles, particularly books related to evangelical Christianity.

Guatemalan law prohibits the introduction of human, chemical, bacterial or other waste in Quetzal because the country does not have the means to process and dispose of it, explained Gálvez.