On the morning of last Tuesday, May 16, a strident noise alarmed residents of the Peralvillo area in huaral. ohEarthquake!, was the first thing they noticed and, alerted by the sudden movement, they hugged the columns of their houses. Within seconds, they managed to get out quickly and watched with spasm as the earth swallowed three vehicles while a living place multifamily collapsed. It was about the sinking of a section of the North Pan-American Highway due to the construction of the tunnel that is part of the Chancay megaport, a strategic work for trade between Asia and America.
Chancay Megaport: which company is in charge of the construction?
As a consequence, at least 18 houses suffered serious damage to their structures. The company in charge of the construction is Cosco Shipping Ports Limiteda Chinese state-owned company and port investor that For this project in Peru, it calculates to allocate a capital of US$3,400 million.
The organization reported in a statement that it would be in charge of repairing the damage caused and stated that it is investigating the causes of the event to take corrective measures.
However, this pronouncement has not left the residents calm, since those affected had warned, long before, of the damage to their homes as a result of the tunnel construction from the port terminal. This is how the governor of Lima Provinces, Rosa Vásquez, declared this Wednesday, May 17, in RPP.
Since it was announced, the authorities of the Peruvian State expressed that the megaport will act as “a trigger for the national economy and will allow a special positioning of Peru in the international arena.” The Chinese embassy in Peru, for its part, pointed out that the construction of the port will generate 1,300 jobs direct and 5,000 indirect when it comes into operation.
This port of Chancay is a private investment project, whose shareholders are the Chinese capital company Cosco Shippingwith a 60% stake, and Volcano Mining Companywith 40%.
Chancay Megaport: Why were the residents opposed to the construction?
However, as detailed by an extensive BBC investigation, not everyone was convinced that the project would be a good deal for Peru“a country where the activity of foreign companies always arouses much controversy.”
Míriam Arce, president of the Association in Defense of Housing and the Environment of the port of Chancay, denounced in 2022 that the majority of residents was against the megaproject because they were not consulted.
Construction of the Chancay megaport is in charge of the Chinese state company Cosco Shipping Ports. Photo: Omar Coca/La República
The complaints intensified when they began to see cracks in the walls and ceilings of their houses due to the explosions. They also complained about the dust that comes from the destruction of the hill and the explosives used by the company in charge, since it affects their respiratory tract.
“We are suffering psychological damage. Nobody knows what it is to live all day with the shock of the explosions,” said the representative of the neighborhood group. At that time, the former Minister of Transport and Communications, Juan Barranzuela, acknowledged before BBC Mundo that “demolitions and landslides were causing instability in the soils and the collapse of some houses”.
Chancay Megaport: warnings to environmental impact study
According to an extensive BBC News report published in 2022, a group of civil organizations filed an appeal in 2018 against the Environmental Impact Study of the Chinese company Cosco Shipping.
The German marine biologist Stefan Austermühle warned in his report that the construction of the megaport would cause irreparable damage to the Santa Rosa wetland, where there are 89 species of birds, 66 flora and two species of fish, the same ones that are now affected by blasting. explosive elements and the passage of heavy machinery.
The company in charge decided to paralyze the work while the investigations that caused the collapse of the streets last. Photo: composition LR/MTC
The document warned that the Chinese state had not considered in its initial study the erosion of the coasts due to the immense landslides and the impact on marine fauna of the intense traffic of ships.
Once the report has been received, the National Service for Environmental Certification for Sustainable Investments (It is born) made the company make modifications to its Environmental Impact Study.
According to the correlative of journalist Guillermo D. Olmo, from the BBC, the Chinese embassy in Peru indicated at the time that “the biologist’s opinions were received and technically responded to,” but that they were finally “dismissed by Senace.”
In addition to the fact that the approved Environmental Impact Study includes the santa rosa wetland in the area of indirect influence of the project, therefore specific actions are established to protect it.
Chancay Megaport: how is the construction of this terminal going?
To date, the Chancay port terminal megaproject has progress of just over 40% and its completion is scheduled for the second half of 2024.
However, the company Cosco Shippingthrough its manager of social responsibility and communities, Romulo Zarauzannounced the stoppage of works in the Peralvillo area while the investigations that caused the collapse of the streets last.
Source: Larepublica
Alia is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 news agency. She writes on various topics from economy news to general interest pieces, providing readers with relevant and informative content. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
