Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Paraná River Could Overflow

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BUENOS AIRES, Jun 2 2003 (IPS) - The environmental Protect Argentina Foundation warns that floods like those that brought tragedy recently to the northeastern city of Santa Fe will be more frequent in that region and will hit other cities, which must begin to take preventive measures. The cities of Clorinda, in Formosa province, Posadas, in Misiones province, Goya, in Corrientes, and the low-lying areas of Entre Ríos are vulnerable to flooding from the Paraná River, says the Foundation's director, Jorge Cappato, national coordinator of the Friends of the Earth network.

“It is preferable to evacuate 100,000 people as a preventive step than to have to count fatalities,” he commented.

Sante Fe suffered flooding of the Salado River in April, and many neighborhoods continue under water. At least 24 people died and some 50,000 were left homeless.