International Day of Action Against Dams

REQUEST TO FOREIGN MINISTER TAIANA ON WATER

MANAGEMENT IN YACYRETÁ AND ITAIPÚDAMS
• Fundación PROTEGER petition is due to the extraordinary low flow of the Paraná River, the impact on fisheries and find out the criteria used by these large dams to retain water.
• PROTEGER also requestedArgentina’s Foreign Minister opinion about the most suitable “areas, regulations and mechanisms for the NationalStateto know, monitor and eventually regulate or influence"on the operation of large water works.
• The request is part of the events on the International Day of Action against Large Dams.

By holding back waterthese dams alter the hydrologic pulses, blocking fish migration to the floodplain of Paraná river, among many other damages. Photo: Itaipú dam.

Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, 14th March 2009 (Proteger Press release).- Considering the lowest water levels that is at present experiencing Paraná River, PROTEGER submitted a letter to the Foreign Minister, Jorge Taiana, requesting information on the management of Paraná River flows performed by the large dams of Itaipú and Binational Yacyretá, and find out what are the criteria.

The letter, signed by Jorge Cappato, PROTEGER director general, maintains

that “it is of public knowledge that Paraná River is recording one of the lowest water levels in recent decades, hydrometric average flows in 2007 was 4.05 m, 3.38 m in 2008 while in January-February 2009 of 2.54 m”.

“It is precisely in times of water shortage when large dams retain much of the flow of the river to ensure their power, to the detriment of coastal populations living downstream whose economies, food and livelihood depend heavily on Paraná river fisherieswelfare”, specifies the letter.

Migration blockage

During the last weeks, fishermen from northern Santa Fe and from the provinces of Chaco and Corrientes, reported the drying up of lakes, rivers and streams in Paraná River floodplain as a result of extreme low level and reduced flow below historical averages. Thousands of trapped fishasphyxiated and died, including surubí, dorados and patíes, among other species of great economic, social and food value.

"According to experts, dams do not only blockupstream migration, but -by retaining water when fish performs transversal migration along floodplain-also stopthe completion of development and reproductive cycles. Moreover, reservoirs irreversibly alter the aquatic habitat: according to experts from CONICET, Yacyretáand Itaipú together have destroyed 44% of the breeding area of thesurubí (Oldani, 2004)", states PROTEGER document.

The request of information is done within the framework of the International Day of Action Against Dams, set on March 14th, 1997 inCuritiba, Brazil, at the end of "First International Meeting of People Affected by Dams.”Every year since then, organizations around the world, mainly from communities affected by these large works, perform simultaneous activities and claims for this date.

Large dams, colossal damages
The letter sent by PROTEGER to the Foreign Ministry points out that “as we know, Yacyretá is a large dam managed by an Argentine-Paraguayan organism, the Yacyretá Binational Entity (EBY), while Itaipú is another huge dam regulated by Paraguay and Brazil, the reservoir of which is 170-km-long, and is located on the Paraná river just 14 km north from the border with Argentina.”
“Both dams have already caused a colossal impact on fisheries and wetlands, affecting hundreds of kilometers downstream. Impact is particularly reflected in the declining population and size of large migratory fishes, specifically those having the highest value for economy, food, sports and tourism”.
“This explains the fact that duringlast January the Asociación de Pescadores del Chaco (ASOPECHA), submitted a letter to the authorities of Chaco expressing their deep concern about the management of water in the reservoirs of the Paraná”.

“On the other hand, and in response to an inquiry from the Government of Santa Fe considering the decline of surubí and other fish species, PROTEGER requested through a letter dated on 26th January 2009 addressed to the Minister of Production andto the Minister of Water and Environment, through the Provincial Fishing Council“to take immediate actions to understand and eventually modify the management of water flows from dams located in the Paraná River, and especially Yacyretá and Itaipú" he added.

Information and control

"Today –it is claimed to Chancellor Taiana-, we ask you whether the Foreign Ministry has information about the management of flows from the dams above, whether these have operating manuals that include the minimum hydrometric levels for the cycles of migration, breeding and feeding of Paraná fishes, designed to recover depleted populations."

It was also requested to know which would be,according to the Argentina’s Foreign Minister, the most suitable “areas, regulations and mechanisms for the National State to know, monitor and eventually regulate or influence, to improve quality of life of local populations and regional economies in NEA-Litoral, the management of waterflows from dams on the Paraná river, and particularly Yacyretáand Itaipú” –concludes PROTEGER letter.

"Not only fishing is being affected, there are other highly negative economic and social impacts. It was due to thesharplow flow of the Paraná riverthat a few weeks ago navigation was suspended in some areas and the load of the vessels were reduced. Access to ports and docks mainly used by small towns along the coast of the river was hampered or hindered, and many tourists have cancelled trips associated with navigations on the Paraná river.Some beachs have been closed and, as in the case of Rosario, steps and resources had to be taken on equipment to ensure the collection and pumping of water into drinking water plants”, Cappato finally said.

Source: Press Proteger, DyN and Télam.

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