Radio Mundo Real

In January 2012, right-wing Otto Perez Molina, a former military officer, will take office as President of Guatemala.

Despite the situation is not at all promising for social organizations, they will demand the new administration to respect the community consultations that rejected several times open pit mining exploitation and the building of new hydroelectric dams.

Magdalena Sarat, from the organization Conavigua, said in an interview with CLOC-Via Campesina, that in October, 2010, over 25 thousand residents of San Miguel Uspatan, Quiche department, rejected these extractive industries in community consultations.

“We request the new authorities to respect the community consultations, because these projects affect communities in a serious way”, said another Quiche activist, interviewed by La Voz de los Movimientos.

Meanwhile, María Argueta, a peasant living near Copon River, talked about the situation in her community since Italian company Enel started building the Palo Viejo Dam.

“The water has not been clean for two years, we cannot wash in that water or drink it, since it is completely polluted”, said Maria in an interview with the radio show.

Local indigenous organizations, who face another conflict with the building of Xalala hydroelectric project, have been denouncing for months that metal and cement waste is found in the river, and that the people responsible for building the dam have threatened the local residents who oppose the project.

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