The La Libertad Refinery is the second largest in the country and produces about 10 oil refining products. Although they publicly and on their website claim to be concerned about the environment, the truth is that there are several areas where their weaknesses have been evident for years. One of them, with serious impact on soil and water, is in the La Carioca sector in La Libertad.
The soil is contaminated by the incorrect disposal of liquids and industrial waste such as sewage and solid waste with a strong stony appearance. Sea water is also affected, which is expressed in the change in water quality that is affected by the incorrect disposal of waste and liquids.
According to some refinery officials, they have stated that they have studies that show that they do not pollute, that they only use sea water as a coolant, and that it only enters and exits through the same waters. But other studies carried out by private individuals show the opposite. Photos of malformations, mutations in fish, and a large number of dead fish in the area, support this hypothesis.
However, in cases such as the spill on August 2 of this year, where oil was actually spilled into the sea, a laboratory analysis contracted by the Environmental Directorate, which was only carried out 5 days later, showed even after that period of time that the levels of contamination exceeded all permitted levels. In the communication that the Directorate sent to Petroindustrial announcing these results, they received a "funny" response, a redefinition of the word contamination (and nothing more).
From the Ballenita Sí Collective, we have decided to take action in peaceful resistance to this outrage that all of us who live or visit La Libertad, La Carioca, Cautivo, Chuyuipe, Ballenita and Capaes have been carrying out some actions that we mention below:
We invite you to watch this short video where you can get a clear idea of the situation. :
1. Special in conjunction with the program “In Search of the Truth” on EcuadorTV, where the issue is denounced and dialogue is held with some of the people involved. (soon on YouTube)
2. Letter delivered to President Rafael Correa, during his last visit to Ballenita, where the problem is exposed. The letter can be read here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=165113966844462&set=a.141318935890632.17711.100000375802587
3. Public survey to find out the perception of the community on the subject. The results are: http://www.ballenitasi.org/2010/11/resultados-encuesta-cual-piensa-que-es.html
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