Agroamérica collaborates with the repair of the Pacayá River

Guatemala, June, 2011. Last month, the Goverment started dredging the mouth of the Pacayá River, located in San Rafael Pacayá, Quetzaltenango. The purpose is to avoid the flooding that occurs in the area during Guatemala’s rainy season from May to November. Agroamérica collaborated with the Southwest Tripoint Association to petition the government for help with this recurring problem.

In 2010, more than 300 community leaders from the departments of Retalhuleu, San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango, all located within the Southwestern Tripoint, together with Banasa, met with the President’s Secretary for Special Projects to discuss the need to dredge the barrier beaches at the mouths of the Pacayá, El Naranjo, and Ocosito Rivers. This dredging will alleviate the local flooding by improving the flow of these rivers toward the Pacific Ocean.

The communities located in the municipalities of Ocós, Coatepeque and Retalhuleu (La Blanca, Pueblo Nuevo, Río Bravo, Cerritos, Salinas I, Salinas II, Las Morenas, Chiquirines, Barillas, Palmar I, Palmar II, Madronales, Los Encuentros, Santa Fe, Valle Lirio, La Blanquita, El Reparo, El Troje, Caballo Blanco) will all benefit greatly from this project.

Agroamérica also supports the local authorities with the project aimed at rebuilding the banks of the Ocosito River to avoid the destruction caused when the river overflows during the rainy season.

Marleny Vásquez, a resident of one of the local communities, demonstrated her appreciation to Agroamérica and the Southwest Tripoint Association: “May God bless you because this project is a miracle. We have suffered greatly from the flooding every year. An additional benefit of this project will be the ability to use the sand that is removed through the dredging process to fill the land where I want to build my house.”

Felino Sandoval, President of the Southwest Tripoint Association, communicated his satisfaction with the project and thanked the governmental authorities, the local communities and Agroamérica for their support.