Peru people are afraid that a Calgary company's drilling plans might change the state of their drinking water. The Nanay River is the river where Peru people of Iquitos taps in to get their fill of drinking water. Iquitos has a population of more than 450,000 Peru people and is the largest city in the world that can't be reached by road.
According to reports, a Calgary company has plans to start drilling for oil in the Amazon rainforest, and Peru people are worried that the oil drilling plans might affect the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of Peru people living close by.
The drilling company is Gran Tierra Energy, and recently, they have obtained an interest in two oil sites in the Amazon. Though they say that their drilling methods are ecologically safe, many of the Peru people living near the Amazon said they have already seen other oil development projects and these have all contaminated local rivers.
José Manuyana, a resident living near the city of Iquitos says, "There is a risk that this beautiful environment will end up being a residual dumpster."
The previous year, the government have already declared states of emergency in three nearby river basins, namely Tigre, Corrientes and Pastaza, in order to protect the Peru people and ultimately the water in the Amazon. The Peru government based their decision through evidence of soil and water contamination in these river basins.
According to a UN mission, the water pollution is linked to a decades-old project operated by Occidental Petroleum, back then sold to Pluspetrol company in 2000.
Resident José Manuyana, one of the Peru people worried about what the state of the drinking water will be once the oil drilling in the Amazon starts says that the Gran Tierra project might almost indefinitely pollute the Nanay River. And this issue is crucial, as the river supplies water to 450,000 Peru people. Not only that, but the oil sites also overlap with two of the country's natural conservation areas.
In defense of their plans and to allay the fears of Peru people, Gran Tierra's CEO Shane O'Leary says that their project is currently being designed to minimize impact on the local environment. He added that while other drilling projects may have contaminated waters in Peru, new methods and stronger environmental protections are now taking place.
He said in a statement: "It's all about the improving the quality of life for the people that live there. And respecting the environment is a crucial part of that. Maybe you could get away with things 20 years ago. But that's just not the case anymore."
Peru people are still untrusting as to any drilling plans that might contaminate their waters, though the statement from the CEO claims there are no dangers. O'Leary also stated that the oil development can create jobs for people in the area. The Gran Tierra Energy company is now awaiting environmental permits so they could begin the oil drilling in the Amazon.
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