The conflict over the flow of rubbish in Guatemala

The Honduran Caribbean offers a beautiful view. It attracts thousands of tourists every year. But less and less. Why? Because of the garbage. The one who brings the Motagua River. It runs through neighboring Guatemala. And according to the Honduran authorities, this brings problems to the Honduran coast. The conflict over the flow of rubbish in Guatemala is weeping.

There are many who live on the artisanal coast in Honduras. The devastating damage to the coasts is affecting their livelihoods. The fish don’t get close because of the garbage. The Honduran authorities say they have collected around 550 tons in the past 11 days. The trash even reaches Roatan, an island known for its heavenly beaches.

The conflict over the flow of rubbish in Guatemala brings us sad postcards like these.
The conflict over the flow of rubbish in Guatemala brings us sad postcards like these.
Negligence and failure

Liliam Rivera is in charge of the Honduras Ministry of the Environment to resolve the issue. “It’s the worst impact we’ve had in five years. It was a tsunami of rubbish. They made you cry, “he says. Both countries had bilateral meetings to solve the problem. Tegucigalpa ensures that most of the waste that ends up on the coasts comes from the neighbor. Guatemala asks, that several Honduran communities also contribute to the problem.

On this occasion, however, the Guatemalan government admitted a mistake. Earlier this year they erected an industrial fence as a “palliative measure” to stop the flow of rubbish into Honduras. However, it collapsed due to heavy rainfall.

Honduras believes that repairing the containment will not solve the problem in the long run. They are calling on Guatemala to take stronger positions to finally resolve it. “These fences only hold floating debris. Not the ones that go under, like microplastics and other smaller debris.

The rubbish ended up in various places along the coast.
The rubbish ended up in various places along the coast.

“We are talking about a problem that affects us along 45 kilometers of our coast. It’s a nightmare for our artisanal fishermen, ”he adds. The Motagua is one of the largest rivers in Central America. It travels nearly 500 kilometers from the northwest region of Guatemala to its confluence with the Honduras Caribbean.

Pollution course

The river crosses 14 Guatemalan departments. It encompasses more than 90 parishes and part of the country beyond its central territory.

“Crossing our capital city is one of their problems as one of its tributaries is directly linked to many environmental conflicts, such as the municipal landfill in Guatemala City,” he says.

The river is also among the most polluted as it has become a way for many people to get rid of their trash. “It’s a problem that doesn’t just affect Honduras. It affects most of our country. We can see debris all over the riverbank, along the riverbed, ”he says.

Rivera explains that, to a lesser extent, Honduras is also causing part of the rubbish flow conflict in Guatemala

«We have two rivers, the Chamelecón and the Ulúa. They also pay tribute to Motagua and that they are contaminated. We have 21 churches that border the river. According to studies we’ve done, we generally contribute 20% of the garbage that reaches us and 80% comes from Guatemala, “he says.

It’s not just a problem between two countries. This flow of rubbish affects the ocean and marine species and harms the entire planet.

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