Title | Starting at the top: preventing pollution from tanneries and cleaning up the Rio Bogotá |
Publication Type | Miscellaneous |
Year of Publication | 2011 |
Authors | Sanz, M, Osorio, L |
Date Published | 07-2011 |
Abstract | The dispute between the authorities and the tanners in the upper reaches of the Bogotá River was at first seen to be about unacceptable pollution of the river. On closer inspection it was clear that it was also about land rights and to some extent, the social exclusion of a community from the decision making processes. Efforts to prevent the tanners from polluting the river had been largely coercive and had failed to engage effectively with their interests. Intermediaries acting "on behalf" of the tanners had not always acted in their best interests. The only solutions on offer were about treatment plants. |