Ecobreves – PERU: Peasants Ready to Cut Pipeline

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

LIMA, Jun 7 2004 (IPS) - Peasant farmers from the Convención Valley, in the southeastern Peruvian department of Cuzco, threaten to destroy one kilometer of the Camisea-Lima natural gas pipeline if the construction companies Techint, Plus Petrol and TGP do not agree to compensate them with 20 million dollars for environmental damages to the area. Deputy energy minister Juan Miguel Cayo announced on May 20 the completion of the pipeline, which will begin operating on Aug. 9. In response, the Defense and Development Front, from Convención province, renewed mobilizations against the project.

“The companies and the national government so far have ignored the peasants' demands, despite the fact that an accord exists for resolving the environmental impacts of the pipeline,” said Abel Cruz, president of the Front.

But TGP general manager Alejandro Segret says “no environmental harm that was not foreseen in the measures included in the project have occurred.”