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Court Orders Removal of Pipes from Caacupé Aquifer in Paraguay
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Environment & Climate

Court Orders Removal of Pipes from Caacupé Aquifer in Paraguay

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A court ruled in favor of a neighborhood commission in Atyrá, Paraguay, regarding the Caacupé Aquifer, ordering the removal of installed water pipes.
  • The ruling invalidates a previous preliminary injunction that allowed the Highlands Park real estate complex to extract water from a deep well.
  • Residents, who have been actively defending the aquifer, remain vigilant despite the positive legal outcome.

In a significant legal victory for environmental defenders, a Court of Accounts has ruled in favor of a neighborhood commission in Atyrá, Paraguay, concerning the Caacupé Aquifer. The court has ordered the removal of water pipes that had been installed in the territory of the Cordillera department, effectively halting the extraction of water for a real estate project.

The ruling overturns a preliminary injunction that had permitted the Highlands Park real estate complex to draw water from a deep well located in Atyrá to supply its development in Ypacaraí. Víctor Samaniego, the lawyer representing the "Defenders of the Caacupé Aquifer" commission, explained that this annulment reinstates a prior resolution by the Municipality of Atyrá, mandating the removal of the pipes.

We are always on alert; our mobilization and vigils were the pressure that finally allowed justice to be done. Clearly, the municipal resolution is correct, but we are in Paraguay, and danger is always latent.

— Víctor SamaniegoThe lawyer for the neighborhood commission expressing continued vigilance despite the favorable court ruling.

This legal success is attributed to the persistent mobilization of citizens, which included protests and continuous vigils under the slogan "The Caacupé Aquifer is not for sale, it is defended." The court's decision prioritizes the community's right to water over private exploitation. Despite this positive development, residents remain on alert, acknowledging that previous measures were also overcome through citizen pressure.

Samaniego emphasized the ongoing vigilance, stating, "We are always on alert; our mobilization and vigils were the pressure that finally allowed justice to be done. Clearly, the municipal resolution is correct, but we are in Paraguay, and danger is always latent." The conflict dates back about a year when residents denounced the drilling of a deep well and the installation of a nine-kilometer aqueduct intended for the exclusive use of the Highlands Lagoon Lifestyle complex, developed by Petrohue Real Estate S.A.

The Caacupé Aquifer is not for sale, it is defended.

— ProtestersThe slogan used by citizens during their mobilization to defend the aquifer.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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