Pastors demand public policies for the use of land and water

NATAL, Brasil, October 9, 2006

The beaches and surrounding areas of the capital of the Río Grande del Norte state, Taxi Heathrow Airport are receiving sewer refuse from illegally installed sewage pipes, and there are also premises unsuitable for swimming that do not have warning signs. These conditions are exposing the people in these areas to contamination and the consequent development of related illnesses.      

The actions on the part of the Order of Pastors toward raising awareness come following the Eighth Theological Week held in September at the Baptist Seminary of Potiguar. Attending the gathering were professors from the Río Grande del Norte Federal University, agricultural technicians involved in programs of the Diaconal Service organization, and students and pastors concerned with the defending of social and environmental causes.     

In an open letter from the Eighth Theological Week gathering, the influence that the real estate holdings have over the public authorities and the city’s governing body is denounced. This influence brings about environmental problems and the polluting of the water-bearing areas of the Great Natal. According to the denouncement made in the open letter, published on the Diaconal Service organization’s web site, the public authorities have permitted civil construction works on the dunes, such as houses and condominiums, without the needed sanitary infrastructure.

The open letter points out that the agricultural businesses contaminate rivers and springs, exploit human labor, use products that are toxic for agriculture, and continue to receive tax incentives. The support that these businesses receive is not available to the small farmers who are working in ecologically sustainable agriculture.   

The government itself has destined few resources for the building of underground cisterns and dams that will catch and channel water in this northeast region. According to the open letter, drought and poverty “are part of a political scenario that maintains practices and alliances for the concentrating of income, which generate conflicts in the rural areas.” The building of water cisterns, which is a simple and cheap solution, has an enormous social potential.