Guatemalan farmers protest new cement factory and highway construction

Guatemalan residents are protesting against local cement manufacturer Cementos Progreso's plans to build a cement factory in San Juan Sacatepéquez, some 30km northwest of Guatemala City, according to news reports. Members of twelve local communities claim they were not consulted prior to works commencing and that the cement plant will contaminate the local environment. The cement factory will be built in the area to serve construction of a 24km highway known as the "Anillo Regional" that will connect the departments of Guatemala, Quiché, Baja Verapaz and Chimaltenango. The highway is expected to cost 150mn quetzals (US$19.2mn) and works are being carried out under a public-private partnership, in which Cementos Progreso is participating in. President Otto Pérez inaugurated the start of construction works in May and defended the project, saying that it would bring development to the area, according to a release from the presidency. "I want to ask the local population...that will be benefitted by the project, to help us and collaborate," said the president. Pérez characterized claims that the highway will damage the environment, affect local farming and reduce water resources in the area as "lies."