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🇦🇷 Argentina /Crime & Justice

Million-peso fines, arrests and community service: How Mendoza is preparing for Súper Niño

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Mendoza authorities are clearing irrigation channels, ditches and collectors after removing more than 1,600 tonnes of household and organic waste this year.
  • The campaign aims to reduce the risk of overflows, floods and mudslides amid warnings of extreme rain and snowmelt linked to Súper Niño.
  • A proposed provincial law would impose fines of up to 2 million pesos, arrest and community service for people who dump rubbish in drainage channels.

Mendoza is turning to million-peso fines, arrest and community service as it tackles rubbish clogging the province’s irrigation channels and drainage routes ahead of the Súper Niño climate phenomenon.

The provincial capital has long been known as “the cleanest city in the country.” But beyond the central areas, Greater Mendoza and interior districts are confronting a different picture. Irrigation channels, collectors and waterways are filled with tonnes of rubbish and overgrown vegetation.

Authorities fear that persistent extreme rain, combined with rapid snowmelt after heavy winter snowfall and rising temperatures, could lead to overflows, flooding and mudslides. Official figures show that more than 1,600 tonnes of household and organic waste have already been removed from channels across the province this year. The waste has included bottles, plastics, foam packaging, boxes, rubble, furniture, car parts and discarded appliances.

Specialized machinery has recently been deployed not only to remove rubbish, which often returns within days, but also to clear vegetation that has grown for years. A bill to be debated in the provincial legislature would introduce tougher penalties for dumping rubbish in ditches and channels that affect stormwater drainage.

The proposal, promoted by Mendoza City Mayor Ulpiano Suarez, would allow fines of up to 2 million pesos, along with arrest and community service. Some municipalities have already imposed fines of 1 million pesos on residents caught dumping rubbish in public places. Suarez said, “A clean and orderly city and province need clear rules, citizen participation and a firm hand to sanction those responsible for this behavior.” The proposal would also require the Energy and Environment Ministry to operate accessible digital channels for complaints.

A clean and orderly city and province need clear rules, citizen participation and a firm hand to sanction those responsible for this behavior.

· Ulpiano SuarezThe Mendoza City mayor defended proposed tougher penalties for dumping rubbish in drainage channels and public spaces.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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