Peru's congress presents bill to clean up lake Chinchaycocha

A Peruvian congressman has presented a bill to declare of national interest the recuperation and decontamination of lake Chinchaycocha, located in Junín department. The bill calls for the Junín regional government, the environmental ministry and the Pasco regional government to adopt the necessary measures to clean up the lake, including the formation of a multi-sectoral commission within 30 days of publication. The bill would also require the regional governments to co-finance through the national environmental fund, Fonam, the projects and programs to decontaminate the lake. Due to its size and critical role in energy generation, lake Chinchaycocha is considered the second most important lake in the country, according to the bill. The lake has predominately suffered from the overuse of its resources in addition to contamination from mining activity and wastewater from the surrounding cities. To view the bill, in Spanish, follow this link