The conflict between both provinces over water is not new, but it recently added a new chapter. And Mendoza decided to denounce La Pampa for allowing private companies to appropriate the water resource, which leaves from San Rafael and is delivered to the neighboring province, to sell it illegally in drums.
The complaint was confirmed this Tuesday during a press conference led by the General Superintendent of Irrigation, Sergio Marinelliand the president of the Administrative Court of the organization, Gustavo Villegas.
“There is a district of San Rafael called Punta del Agua. In 1996, an aqueduct was built there that brings mineral spring water to the Pampas towns of Santa Isabel and Algarrobo del Águila.with the objective of providing service to 6,000 people,” said Villegas.
Along these lines, the complaint revolves around the fact that this provision – originally for the consumption of the residents of the northwest of the Pampas – is captured by two private companies, Desierto Pampa and Santa Isabel, which package the drinking water from the aqueduct in 20-liter drums. and which would then be sold in other jurisdictions.
“Those works were done to give communities access to water. And they, in addition, sell the resource outside the agreement area, even in Río Negro and Neuquén,” explained Villegas, in dialogue with Radio Nihuil.
From Irrigation they explained that they became aware of the illegal business after a meeting with the residents of Punta del Agua. Although the population does not receive the flow of the Atuel, “it corresponds to the same basin, that of the Nevado.”
“On March 6, we were called by residents of Punta del Agua to a meeting due to the scarcity of the stream that bears the same name.. And they showed us screenshots showing a company based in La Pampa that is dedicated to packaging water from the Punta del Agua-Santa Isabel aqueduct. And they sell it,” explained Marinelli.
In this way, they traveled to the towns of Santa Isabel and 25 de Mayo, La Pampa, to collect the evidence and even bought the water drums without any inconvenience.
According to Villegas, the province is aware of the situation, since the bottling plants have permits to operate: “They literally sell the water that we give them as part of the agreement while we have people from Punta del Agua complaining because water is scarce.”
“We have certified all of this through the Government Advisory Service, as well as the captures of the information published on the networks. Since 2019, this company has been authorized by the Pampas government, that is, by the Ministry of Health of the province of La Pampa, specifically by the Department of Bromatology,” the official added. The conflict will be resolved in the Original Trials Chamber of the Court.
For the Secretary of Water Resources of La Pampa, José Gobbi, the complaint “has no basis” and “it is only a press move” to prevent talk of “non-compliance” by Mendoza with the Court’s ruling. Supreme Court, issued in 2020.
This ruling forces the province of Cuyo to deliver 3.2 cubic meters of water per second from the Atuel River. While La Pampa speaks of “illegal retention” of water, Mendoza argues that the flow of the tributary is deficient.
“La Pampa is not breaching the 1992 agreement and what Mendoza is doing is an attempt to shift the axis of discussion. “Just now that we have provided evidence that there is water in the Atuel system, they come out with this press move without any basis,” added the official.
