Politicians Fined for Environmental Negligence

An Argentine court has fined the country’s environmental secretary and two politicians for failing to clean up the polluted Riachuelo River that winds through Buenos Aires, a move unique and commendable for its accountability of politicians to citizens’ concerns.  —JCL

The Associated Press:

Environmentalists praised a judge on Wednesday for fining Argentina’s environmental secretary and two local politicians for failing to clean up the polluted river that flows sluggishly through the heart of the capital.

More than 4,100 sources of pollution, including tanneries; oil, chemical, and metal plants; industrial food plants; and illegal sewage pipes drain into the Riachuelo, one of Argentina’s worst environmental hotspots.

There are at least 110 open garbage dumps along the river, according to the Foundation for the Environment and Natural Resources, an Argentine environmental group.

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The Riachuelo River, which runs along the southern side of Buenos Aires and into the Boca neighborhood, is notorious for its stench.