Bogota‘s Department of Environment (SDA) on Thursday suspended a local Hyundai factory work due to pollution.
The SDA claims that the company polluted water sources by dumbing hazerdous wast into the rivers and has consumed more groundwater than was allowed.
The District Department of the Environment of Bogota on Thursday announced that “if this safety measure is not obeyed and the fines are not payed, then more economic sanctions can be taken or even the closing down of the company”. The imposed closure will end once Hyundai fulfills its obligations to the environment.
According to Radio Santa Fe Hyundai denies the suspension. President of Hyundai in Colombia, Carlos Mattos, said “this information has been wrongly published. We are asking for a rectification to clarify the situation.”
The District Department of the Environment has accused Hyundai of discharging sanitary waste without permission, having no contingency plan, not registering that they deal with used oil, and breaching its obligations to properly store and distribute fuel.
The fines can be as high as 2.575 million peso (around $ 1.4 million), the equivalent of 5.000 times the legal minimum wages.