BOGOTA (Reuters) – A United Nations human rights expert said Monday that Colombia will suspend some of the operations of coal mining company Cerrejón, raising environmental and fitness problems.
The through David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, follows a request through a British lawyer who alleges that mining has broken the fitness of local native Wayuu.
Cerrejón, 50% owned by BHP Group, Anglo American and Glencore, played down the allegations and said the rapporteur’s comments were concerning.
Wayuu society and communities have long-standing disputes over water use and pollution, dust, noise and fitness in the desert province of La Guajira.
Wayuu living in the provincial reserve, near the Cerrejón mine, said in June that the resumption of operations in Cerrejón by the pandemic had jeopardized their network and could deplete water supplies.
The organization is represented through London lawyer Mónica Feria-Tinta, who founded her complaint in a recent ruling of the Constitutional Court of Colombia that orders the corporate to save him pollutants and emissions.
“I call on Colombia to put into force the directives of its own Constitutional Court and do more to protect the very vulnerable WayuuArray . . . against the pollutants of the huge El Cerrejón and COVID-19 mine,” Boyd said in a statement. minus the pandemic, operations on the Tajo Patilla Array site . . . should be suspended until it can be shown to be safe. “
Boyd asked Cerrejón to save him additional damage, adding that other people living with high levels of air pollutants face a greater threat of DEATH from COVID-19.
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Cerrejón said he is moving forward with the adjustments requested through the Constitutional Court, adding reduction of dust emissions, despite the coronavirus and an ongoing strike through his largest union.
“Cerrejón is involved with the statements of the UN special rapporteurs,” the corporate said, adding that he will provide the rapporteurs with “additional facts for consideration. “
The Department of Energy had no prompt comment.
(Report via Julia Symmes Cobb; Edited through David Gregorio)