2011 Administrative Appeal to declare Siria Valley a Health Emergency

On 13 December 2011, the National Coalition of Environmental and Organisational Networks and the Siria Valley Environmental Committee (CAVS) submitted an administrative appeal to the Ministry of Health, requesting that the area of Siria Valley be declared a health emergency, that the Ministry immediately attend to those affected by heavy metals, carry out new medical analyses and consider awarding damages. This request followed, among other things, the release by CAVS of a report prepared in 2006 by Dr. Juan Almendares and biologist Flaviano Bianchini, which demonstrated high levels of heavy metals in drinking water and blood samples from residents in the vicinity of the San Martín project, and a photo report prepared by a representative of CAVS documenting the health problems of local residents (photos taken in 2008). 

Similar calls have were made by other organizations, such as the Honduran Centre for the Promotion of Community Development (CEHPRODEC), which reported on human rights violations in the context of extractive projects in Honduras between 2010 and 2014. The organization’s report recommended, among other things, that Siria Valley be declared a health emergency and that immediate medical attention be provided to residents impacted by environmental damage in the region.