Organizations such as the Water Movement (MOPEA), Nature of Rights, and the Observatory of the Right to the City filed a criminal complaint on January 13 against the National Minister of Economy Luis "Toto" Caputo and the Undersecretary of Ports and Navigable Ways Iñaki Miguel Arreseygor. The complaint was filed before the National Court in Criminal and Federal Correctional Matters No. 9 for alleged environmental irregularities in the privatization of the Paraná River.
The privatization of the Plata Basin during the 1990s meant stripping the major rivers of Argentina of their ecological, cultural, touristic, and strategic value, turning them into mere transport routes for goods. After 25 years, the concession came to an end, renewing the discussion about the value of the country's rivers.
The new bidding for the concession to manage the so-called Waterway proposes a privatist, extractivist, and foreign-oriented model, raising concerns about the environmental impact it could entail. Among the concerns is the intention to adapt the rivers to ocean vessels rather than the reverse, which implies massive removal of sediment from the riverbed with unknown and possibly contaminated destinations. Additionally, the proposed concession is for 30 years, renewable for another 30, and encompasses two of the country's most important rivers, the Paraná and the Plata.
Therefore, a complaint was filed for failure to comply with the duties of a public official, abuse of authority, and incompatible negotiations against Caputo and Arreseygor, alleging a lack of citizen participation and strategic environmental assessment in the process. The request includes the suspension of the bidding process for the concession in question.
