Oil company forced to halt pumping from two wells in north-eastern Colombia until environmental concerns addressed, reported Colombia’s governmental environmental regulator on Thursday.
Acting to protect the Caño Palo Blanco water source in the town of Aguazul, in the north-eastern state of Casanare, environmental regulator ANLA ordered the suspension of oil and gas multinational Perenco’s activity in the area, reported Colombian financial magazine, Dinero.
The pipeline had suffered two leaks in less than a year, both of which could allegedly have been avoided with proper maintenance.
Once the firm can ensure the integrity of the pipelines, clean up the remnants of spills that fell into Caño Palo Blanco and also submit an Environmental Recovery Plan for the water source, ANLA will consider lifting the suspension, said their press release.
The Colombian branch of Anglo-French oil company Perenco has previously been accused of environmental neglect, following an oil spill from one of their pipelines in the Casanare area in 2012.
MORE: Perenco accused of paramilitary ties, environmental neglect, harassing unionists
Sources
- Suspendida operación de Perenco en Casanare (Dinero)
- Autoridad Nacional de Licencias Ambientales, Resolución 0540 (ANLA)
