Public Project
A River's Day in Court
Summary
The Piatua River, a tributary of the Amazon located in the Pastaza region of Ecuador, is believed to be millions of years old. It is home to a large amount of flora and fauna that has not yet been catalogued by the scientific world. For the Kichwa communities the river is sacred. It is a living being, with its own temperament and mood swings. It is respected and sometimes feared, loved and protected. For some years now, the river people have been fighting against the construction of the dam upstream.
The Piatua River, a tributary of the Amazon located in the Pastaza region of Ecuador, is believed to be millions of years old. It is home to a large amount of flora and fauna that has not yet been catalogued by the scientific world. For the Kichwa communities the river is sacred. It is a living being, with its own temperament and mood swings. It is respected and sometimes feared, loved and protected. For some years now, the river people have been fighting against the construction of the dam upstream. The connection and relationship with the river call them to resist the environmental threat established by the hydroelectric project. Here are some of the people who live this resistance from their daily lives.
Story for TIME Magazine
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[ESPAÑOL]
Se cree que el río Piatua, afluente del Amazonas situado en la región ecuatoriana del Pastaza, tiene millones de años. Alberga una gran cantidad de flora y fauna que aún no ha sido catalogada por el mundo científico. Para las comunidades kichwas el río es sagrado. Es un ser vivo, con su propio temperamento y cambios de humor. Se le respeta y a veces se le teme, se le quiere y se le protege. Desde hace algunos años, los ribereños luchan contra la construcción de la presa río arriba. La conexión y relación con el río les llama a resistir la amenaza medioambiental que supone el proyecto hidroeléctrico. He aquí algunas de las personas que viven esta resistencia desde su vida cotidiana.
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