Residents of San Marcos Sierras are mobilizing against a mega-project promoted by the government of Córdoba, led by Martín Llaryora. The project, titled the 'Comprehensive Plan for the Promotion and Regional Development of the Cruz del Eje Lakeshore', is funded by the provincial lottery. It involves land clearing for the construction of a hotel with a gaming room and convention center, as well as roadworks. The community asserts that these works are being carried out without complying with environmental regulations. They are demanding the immediate cessation of all activities until a proper hydrological and environmental impact assessment is conducted. According to the residents, the project includes two 80-meter-deep wells in the San Marcos River bed, equipped with pumps capable of extracting 10,000 liters of water per hour, which is approximately 40% of the water consumed by the town. The community is also concerned that the project was not properly approved with their consent, and that indigenous communities were neither consulted nor gave their approval. Activists hold weekly meetings, collect signatures, and peacefully block construction machinery to prevent the illegal clearing of native vegetation. They point to the precedent of the Carlos Paz Dam, which is now contaminated with harmful cyanobacteria, and demand that such an environmental disaster be avoided.
