Earth Day: Guatemala
Greens Gloomy
Guatemalans are
commemorating
International Earth Day
Tuesday amid serious
concerns over the
environmental
deterioration caused by
water pollution and
indiscriminate cutting
of forests.
Roberto Caceres, from
the Mesoamerican Center
of Studies on Applied
Technology, said one of
the most serious
problems is the
inadequate use of water
resources, which
endangers important
water-bearing layers.
About 25 lakes and
lagoons are in danger of
disappearing within a
decade, and a similar
amount dried up in the
last 80 years due to
enlarged urban limits.
The northern department
of Peten, the country's
largest ecological
reserve, is threatened
by the predatory action
of drug trafficking
organizations and timber
companies cutting one
hundred-year-old forests
uncontrollably.
The Protected Areas in
that region are
essential for water
preservation, carbon
reserve, and oxygen
generation, activist
Marta Pilon recalled.
The problem is not only
having laws, but also
teaching people to
change their behaviour
towards nature, experts
sustain.
Amid this panorama, a
green fair will be held
today at the
Constitution Square in
the historic part of the
city aimed at raising
people's awareness on
the risks posed by
ecological
deterioration. |
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