stated that all State power will be used to prevent irresponsible companies from contaminating the country's environment.
The Cabinet member mentioned the case of Chimbote Beach, indicating that "they have turned it into a sewer," in reference to the activities of irresponsible companies that work without respecting environmental standards and thus affect the population's health.
Likewise, the Cabinet member said many fishermen now live in poverty because they can no longer work as they used to.
"That must be avoided, and all the State power must be used so that misfortunes of this nature do not happen again," he underlined in dialogue with local fishermen.
Repsol still does not clean up guano islands
Concerning progress made on the cleaning up and remediation of the affected areas, he affirmed the Repsol company is not fulfilling its obligations to restore the environmental conditions that had existed prior to the oil spill.
"It has done absolutely nothing regarding the cleanup of Islas Guaneras (Guano Islands)," he warned.
After reiterating that La Pampilla Refinery operator is giving a bad example to domestic and foreign companies, Minister Montoya affirmed the situation must be rectified so as to start working seriously —especially to prevent guano birds from dying, which are important for biodiversity.
In turn, Deputy Territorial Governance Minister Jesus Quispe said it is a priority for the Peruvian State to solve the problems caused by this environmental disaster.
"We work together to solve the problem and so that fishermen get back to their routine soon," he expressed.
The event also saw the presence of Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement (OEFA) Chief Miriam Alegria, among other officials.
Oil spill
The ecological disaster was caused by the spill of more than 11,000 barrels of crude oil at La Pampilla maritime terminal, which is operated by the Spanish company Repsol.
(END) NDP/GSR/JCR/MVB