Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: 10 Years in Prison for Water Contamination

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

GUATEMALA CITY, May 20 2006 (IPS) - A new regulation on discharge of wastewater took effect May 11 in Guatemala, and includes penalties of up to 10 years in prison for contamination of major water sources. The measure aims to gradually eliminate pollution from some 500 companies by 2024.

“We are going to create a database to determine the degree of water contamination in Guatemala and we will set up a mobile laboratory to conduct testing, which should be ready in four months,” Environment Minister Mario Dary told Tierramérica.

Industrial executives warned against focusing only on the private sector. “A few factories are responsible for between 10 and 15 percent of the contamination of water sources; the rest are the municipalities and the residential sector,” said Ricardo Sagastume, head of the Chamber of Industry.