Gaita tannery in Lanùs, Argentina, is forced to suspend its activities. The Autoridad de Cuenca Matanza Riachuelo (ACUMAR), imposed the shut-down of the company due to an alleged discharge of liquid toxins onto locations where it wasn’t allowed. As reported by local newspaper Diario Popular, the coordinator of the ACUMAR inspection body, Guillermo Strilker, explained that following a series of inspections, it emerged that the water of Rio Matanza, also known as Riachuelo (flows into the Rio de la Plata), contain more polluting substances than allowed and that from further inquiries, “the entity could verify that the discharges originate from the tannery”. The business accused of this crime, according to the same local paper, is Gaita, where after the forced shut-down in mid-April is being followed by further inspections. Print sources of the South American country tell the story of how the attention of inspection bodies as well as that of the public, is right now very high with regards to the toxin-discharging practices enacted by enterprises on the territory (not just the tannery). ACUMAR’s inspectors have issued a 2 million pesos fine (42,000 euro) for the alleged not-allowed-discharge that caused strong unpleasant odors felt by many residents in various neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.
Photo from Acumar.gob.ar
