Pasión River


The Pasión River is a river located in the northern lowlands region of Guatemala. The river is fed by a number of upstream tributaries whose sources lie in the hills of Alta Verapaz. These flow in a general northerly direction to form the Pasión, which then tends westwards to meet up with the Salinas River at. At this confluence the greater Usumacinta River is formed, which runs northward to its eventual outlet in the Gulf of Mexico. The Pasión River's principal tributaries are the San Juan River, the Machaquila River, and the Cancuén River.
The riverine drainage system of the Pasión and its tributaries covers an area of over and forms a watershed for a substantial portion of the present-day Guatemalan department of Petén's western half.
The Pasión river basin is recognized as an archaeological region or zone, and contains a number of archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, which to an extent shared some commonalities in Maya architectural style, political history and glyphic conventions. Maya ceremonial and urban centers located within the region include Dos Pilas, Tamarindito, Altar de Sacrificios, Aguateca, Seibal and Machaquila.

Ecological disaster of 2015

On June 6, 2015, residents around La Pasión River reported the finding of a high count of dead fish floating along the river. On June 11, 2015, Guatemala's authorities inspected palm oil extracting company "Reforestadora de Palmas de Petén, S.A.", located in Sayaxché, and found traces of Malathion in the company's tributaries leading to La Pasión River.
Tranquilino Xojalaj, administrator of REPSA declared that heavy rain caused the treatment wells to flood into the river, however the company is denying any involvement in the disaster, stating that they do not use Malathion as a pesticide.
As of June 15, 2015, contamination has extended to over downstream and is affecting over 5,600 families from 16 communities by the riverside. These communities depend on the river for drinking water and fishing.
The pollution is threatening to extend to Río Usumacinta river, which travels all the way to México, and may continue its way towards the rivers in Tabasco.