The Amazon River’s transformation puts the only port of Colombia in danger: NPR

Leticia, Colombia – The city of Leticia allows the jungle to reach the only Colombia to the Amazon River. But as the river changes, the city can be left high and dry soon, and this increases a border conflict with the adjacent Peru.

Drought, sedimentation and zigzag through the second largest river in the world gradually pushing the waterway in the south to Peru and away from Colombia. Colombian navy Ticket It is expected that within five years, it can be non -coastal lita.

Residents who are concerned indicate that although Leticia has an airport, there are no fast roads linking this city with a population of 55,000 people in southern Colombia to any other region of the country. Most food and other supplies reach here via the Amazon River boats from Peru and Brazil.

“We rely on the daily trade between the three countries to survive,” says Santiago Duque, a professor of biology at the Letesia branch at the National University of Colombia. “The river is necessary.”

The area surrounding Leticia is known as “Triple Frontier” because the river is the border with Peru while the Brazilian town of Tbatinga is located in the neighborhood. Tourists and pilots boat and shoppers from all three countries speak English, Spanish and Portuguese, come and go as they like.

Local advertisement proves that individuals here breakfast in Colombia, lunch in Peru and dinner in Brazil.

But the good atmosphere began to bend as Colombia was deceived around reaching the river. With the water decline, the charging berth in Leticia was extended several times to reach the river. But during the drought season, he sits on dry lands, making the fork fork and other useless machines.

On the morning of the last days, the workers discharged the hand -of -hand shipping boats, carrying boxes of beer, rice bags, and flour bags on their shoulders 100 yards from the muddy river bank to trucks waiting for the pavement berth. All this slows the trade and moves the costs.

“It is like a return to the eighteenth century,” says Sigifroido Bilterran, a Legesea businessman and the hotel owner.

For decades, Colombian officials ignored the problem. However, this changed in July amid a dispute with Peru on a small island called Santa Rosa, which is located in the Amazon River hundreds of meters away from the water from Leticia.
The borders of Peru Colombia were fixed under the 1922 treaty. But Santa Rosa was formed in 1974 and was not officially allocated to any of the countries. About 3000 Peru is living there after Colombia is also the island.

When Peru Congress Colombia President Gustavo Petro upgraded the Santa Rosa position from the village to the city, which gave it a greater governmental presence. in letterPetro insisted: “Colombia does not recognize the Peruvian sovereignty over Santa Rosa.”

Then, in a strange trick, Daniel Quintro, a Colombian presidential candidate, was published video He himself sneaks into Santa Rosa and raising the Colombian flag yellow, blue and red, and declares: “These are the Colombian lands.” With 15 minutes, the Peruvian authorities took it.

National feelings are a common practice for politicians who know that regional conflicts are still a painful place for the Colombians. The most famous issue was Panama, which used to be a Colombian province. Then, in 1903, the US government revolutionized it to be able to build the Panama channel.

Colombia and Peru often roam their borders. In reality, Letsia The Peruvian army was founded in the nineteenth century and took its name from one of her founding parents. After that, the city turned to give Colombia access to the Amazon River, but the Peruvian protested and in 1932 the two sides fought a short border war.

As for Santa Rosa, experts say that both countries have legitimate demands for the island.

The 1922 border treaty states that the depth of the Amazon River channel is the border, with Colombia from the north and Peru to the south. When Santa Rosa was formed, she ran a deeper channel north of the island, making it in Peru.

But the river has turned and divided it and now a smaller branch of the Amazon flows into Leticia. Walter Arvalo, a professor of international law at the University of Rosario in Bogota, says that the deepest channel that extends southern Santa Rosa, which will support Colombia’s demand to the island.

He says conflicts over the boundaries of the river are common. For example, Belgium and the Netherlands have held talks every few years around the newly formed islands and changes in the Meuse River, which is part of their borders. He said that Colombia and Peru should follow their example.

“The ideal situation is for both countries to benefit from the entire river,” said Arvalo.

In the eighties of the last century, Colombia and Peru formed a bilateral border commission. It was asleep, but amid the current conflict, the committee’s date was set Meetings For Lima, the Peruvian capital, on September 11 and 12.

Colombia could have avoided a ghost of the non -coastal coastal Liticia, the shelf of the smaller branch of the Amazon River, which is now flowing across the city. But the expense bulldozer and the university professor, Columbon politicians say little attention to this region because of its sporadic population.

In Santa Rosa, where the Peruvian red and white flag revives visitors, the Peruvian population is proud. But they do not spoil the fighting. The Iván Yovera Hotel Director says that the island’s residents are often shopping, sending their children to school and obtaining much larger ITICIA medical care.

“We have not faced any problems with Colombia,” Fisher Flore Gomez added, and it tends to the wooden balcony of her home. “We are like brothers.

Max Ortz, Acting Santa Rosa mayor, expects the border conflicts to appear due to the constantly changing flow of the Amazon River. He strikes: “This mother nature.”