CUTUMAY CAMONES - Santa Ana, El Salvador

(The following information is taken from a letter written by Lucy Luna (11/10/07)


Cutumay Camones (city dump) is located in the department of Santa Ana, El Salvador. More than 7,000 people live in the area and 56% of the population is less than 20 years of age. The majority of the families have been living in extreme poverty for many years and collect the garbage as a means of existence.

(background)
1. ASAPROSAR has been working at Cutumay Camones for the past 5 years, supporting and defending the rights of children and adolescents who work in the city dump. During this time they have been sensitizing the community in order to decrease the hours worked and helping them find a more dignified way to make a living.
2. Many poor families, due to poverty and violence, have left the city and have constructed homes of plastic, cardboard, and wood near the city dump.
3. The families are made up of more than 8 persons all sleeping in one room.
4. They work as ambulatory venders, collect garbage, are domestic workers, while others are unemployed.
5. The 4 public schools in the area are not adequate for the demand and many children do not attend school and enter the work force at a very early age.
6. Part of their program has been to raise the consciousness for the environment. They have learned the need to protect their natural resources and Cutumay Camones is situated on many important veins of vital water which serves approximately 10,000 persons. The community organized and with the support of the municipality constructed a system of pipes which carries the water to each of the homes. One of their dreams came true. This small water cooperative permitted them to have improved living conditions in their community.
7. Two years ago, the government passed new environmental laws to prohibit open dumps and each local mayor was obliged to initiate a process of privatization of the dumps. This was seen as a business venture and a way to increase income, but unfortunately in many cases the opinion of the surround communities was not considered.
8. The dump at Camones has been functioning for 25 years, receiving more than 9 tons of garbage every 15 minutes and the capacity has been reached. A new site has been selected which is on top of the largest vein of water in the zone. It is a vein that produces more than 576 gallons of water per hour.
9. When the community learned machines were coming to cut down the trees and to construct an enomous slab of concrete, they organized and constructed trenches of stone and branches where families could sleep and keep vigilance to prevent the machinery to continue their work.
10. The community tried to have a dialog with the mayor and the company who explained they would protect the source of the water and the cement slab would be made of special material to filter out contaminated water.
11. Environmental organizations supported the community and verified that the materials used were of poor quality and the water veins would be contaminated.
12. Day and night the community of Camones maintained their vigil in the trenches. Nonetheless, the mayor initiated a battle by ordering the agents of the Unit to Maintain Order , which is in charge of defending the safety of the population during violent demonstrations and terrorist attacks.
13. This scene continued for three months. On October 25th city hall ordered 300 security agents, with fire arms, marched into the community to protect the trucks with materials to continue the construction of the new facility.
14. The community again had to defend their struggle. Elderly, children, women, men stood firmly in front of the trucks and the police. With no explanation, the police started to beat the women, children and elderly. The community became indignant and picked up stones from the ground to defend themselves.
15. The squadron fired teargas into the homes, into the community center where more than 50 children were attending the Barefoot Angels’ program of ASAPROSAR.
16. Many desperate women tried to enter the community building. The squadron followed them attacking the community building for more than 35 minutes.
17. The personnel of the program had to protect the children all in one room, hiding under tables to protect themselves from the bullets and stones. The community center is small and little ventilation. The teargas caused many health problems for the boys and girls.
18. Finally the team from the Barefoot Angels had to defend the children by telling the squadron this is a house for only children. After 4 hours of violating the human rights of many people, the squadron left.
19. The community felt indignant, anguish, and violated. They asked each other.. “why do they think we are bad? We are only defending our right to have water, to live in a clean environment. Why do they beat us so, we are not terrorists.. they are the terrorists that are causing terror!
20. ASAPROSAR knows these families. We know their only interest is to protect the water. It is for this reason that we condemn all acts of unjustified and indiscriminate violence. We denounce these acts and ask for space for dialogue with the community and that there is respect for the right to have water.
21. Discussion continues about the legality of the new construction. Unfortunately the process is very slow. The communities continue with their struggle.
22. November 6th twelve men and women of the community went on a hunger strike to plead with the Legislative Assembly to prohibit the construction of the garbage dump in this zone.
23. ASAPROSAR continues to support this dream, midst the fear the police with return. We look for a way to tell what is happening in this road for defending the truth.
24. We ask our North American friends to join us in the struggle. We ask you to write to your congressmen and women so that our history will not repeat itself. Our civil war has ended. This community has no political interest although the media may indicate the opposite. This is a genuine and honest struggle because their spirit tells them that water is a resource that can terminate and now is the moment to protect it.
25. We ask our friends to join us to defend the truth. Water is a resource that we all need to live and ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE….WE CANNOT PERMIT ANOTHER WAR TO EXPLODE… justice must be for all.