ABColombia expresses its concern about the environmental situation in Paimadó, in the Department of Chocó in Colombia, after we have been informed that an illegal mining dredger that entered the Quito river, which is a tributary of the Atrato river. The situation not only affects the local community, but also goes against the Constitutional Court’s decision T622 that protects the rights of the Atrato river.

The inhabitants of Paimadó are very concerned because the extractive activity has the potential to generate the opening of an artificial arm of the Quito river that could affect the riverbed by cutting off the municipal area which would eventually dry up. The river is their main means of transportation. We wrote the Colombian Minister of the environment and sustainable development, and the Follow Up Committee of the T622 sentence on the Atrato River to request the implementation of Constitutional Court’s decision T622.

Read below the Letters of Concern we sent to:

Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development (Spanish)

Follow-Up Committee of T622 Sentence of Atrato River (Spanish)