Tannery owner jailed over river contamination
02/11/2010
Environmental agencies in the capital city ordered the tannery, Las Gaviotas, to cease production some months ago because effluent from the facility was alleged to have contaminated a local river, the Tunjuelo. The tannery continued to produce leather, leading to the new sanctions against its owner, María Ismenia Mateus de Camargo. The sentence is likely to begin at the end of November after a further hearing in court.
Local media say Ms Mateus has accepted responsibility for contaminating the river and claim she will be the first person in Colombia to serve a prison sentence for such an offence. A technical team representing Bogotá’s environmental authorities claimed that effluent from Las Gaviotas contained more than 150 milligrams of chrome per litre, while the permitted level is only one milligram per litre.
Share this story:
