Un sol empoisonné

Global Witness reports that Veolia may be causing severe health complications, including congenital malformations, by pumping toxic leachates from a landfill into a protected Colombian wetland. Secret videos and sediment tests showing mercury levels 25 times higher than safe Canadian limits contradict Veolia's claims of environmental compliance. The contamination threatens the drinking water of 300,000 people in Barrancabermeja and impacts the Ciénaga San Silvestre ecosystem. The report also highlights the danger faced by environmental defenders in the region and argues for the strength of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to hold multinationals accountable.

• Secretly filmed videos show Veolia employees using electric pumps to discharge untreated liquid pollutants, known as leachates, from a retention basin into a protected wetland, sometimes while the treatment plant is inactive.
• Sediment samples collected in September 2024 downstream from the landfill revealed mercury concentrations of 4.25 mg/kg, which is 25 times higher than the highest safe limits recommended by Canada (0.17 mg/kg).
• Local health reports from a pediatrician, Dr. Yesid Blanco, indicate a surge in congenital malformations, including babies born without brains, and a rare skin condition called Job's syndrome in the area.
• The contamination risks extending through an interconnected hydrographic network, including the Caño Moncholo and Quebrada El Zarzal, eventually reaching the Ciénaga San Silvestre marsh, which provides drinking water to 300,000 people in Barrancabermeja.
• Veolia denies the contamination and claims its internal monitoring shows no mercury; however, experts argue Veolia's tests are insufficient because they are conducted only twice a year and at locations separated from the discharge site by a hill.
• The region of Santander, where the landfill is located, is identified as the most dangerous area in Colombia for environmental defenders, with many activists, including Dr. Blanco, forced into exile due to paramilitary death threats.
• The report argues that proposed amendments to the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) would weaken the ability of victims to hold companies accountable in EU courts for environmental degradation occurring abroad.

APA

Global Witness (2025). Un sol empoisonné. https://globalwitness.org/fr/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/un-sol-empoisonne/

Chicago

Global Witness. Un sol empoisonné. 2025. https://globalwitness.org/fr/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/un-sol-empoisonne/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Un sol empoisonné |date=March 2025 |url=https://globalwitness.org/fr/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/un-sol-empoisonne/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2025sol, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Un sol empoisonné}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://globalwitness.org/fr/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/un-sol-empoisonne/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }