TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2008
Nicaragua Network Hotline (January 22, 2008)
Topics covered in this hotline include:1. Chavez makes fourth visit to Nicaragua in a year
2. Experts continue discussion about how to save Nicaragua's lakes
3. 15% increase agreed for minimum wage
4. Desperate S.O.S of Mayangna communities
5. Government announces nutrition and health care programs for children
Topic 1: Chavez makes fourth visit to Nicaragua in a year
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made his fourth visit to Nicaragua since Daniel Ortega became President a year ago. Chavez arrived on Jan. 16 accompanied by ten ministers and a number of other officials for a two day visit to evaluate bilateral cooperation and strengthen the process of integration between the two nations. Chavez arrived in Central America on Jan. 15 to attend the inauguration of Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom. Chavez said he had had “intense meetings” with Colom, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, and with Ortega during his three day trip to Central America, the aim of which was to “consolidate a block of powers within the new multi polar world that is being created.”
During the visit Chavez and Ortega met with small, medium and large farmers and cooperatives, attended a baseball game, and made a surprise visit to the offices of the newspaper La Prensa among other activities.
Chavez promised that Venezuela would provide Nicaragua with all the fuel, energy, fertilizer and monetary support it needed to overcome any financial difficulties resulting from the opposition parties' refusal to approve the 2008 national budget. Ortega said that, should the National Assembly not approve the budget before a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrives in Nicaragua in February, the economic program between the government and the IMF would be suspended. As a result, said Ortega, the country would not have access to the US$600 million of funds promised by the IMF and other international donors and Nicaragua would enter a state of financial collapse. Nicaragua “won't collapse;” said Chavez, “here is this friendly hand to help you up.”
During Chavez' visit it was decided that Nicaragua will considerably increase the amount of exports of certain food products to Venezuela during 2008. Agriculture Minister Ariel Bucardo announced that Nicaragua will export 6,000 tons of black beans, 6,000 tons of meat and 23,000 tons of sorghum to Venezuela this year.
The construction progress of the oil refinery in Port Sandino which is being financed by the Venezuelan government was also discussed during the visit. The first phase of construction on the refinery which will allow Nicaragua to export oil and other oil derived products has already begun. According to a government source there are plans for three of the six storage tanks, each with a capacity to store 100,000 barrels of oil, to be installed during the course of the year.
Topic 2: Experts continue discussion about how to save Nicaragua's lakes
Discussion about how to save Nicaragua's two biggest lakes, Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua) and Lake Xolotlan (Lake Managua) continued this week. Hydraulic engineer Carlos Lainez warned that Lake Xolotlan (one of the most contaminated lakes in the world) could be contaminating Lake Cocibolca because five cubic meters of water a second passes in an underground stream from the former to the latter.
Geologist William Martinez agreed that this was a possibility and said that studies must be carried out to determine in what way and to what extent Xolotlan is contaminating Cocibolca. Martinez explained that both lakes and their watershed areas are part of the same geological system, the Pacific Depression, which is the youngest terrain in Central America. As a consequence, said Martinez, the Pacific Depression is the most vulnerable part of Central America in geological terms, which is another reason why Nicaragua's politicians must take the “death” of Xolotlan and the “imminent” threat to Cocibolca very seriously.
Director of the Center of Geoscientific Studies in Nicaragua Dionisio Rodriguez said that it is possible that the water which passes from Xolotlan to Cocibolca in an underground stream is cleaned during the process and therefore may not be posing a threat to the great lake. He emphasized, however, that it is essential that studies into the possibility of inter lake contamination be carried out immediately.
Rodriguez, Martinez and Lainez all agreed that the principal source of contamination of Xolotlan is Managua's infamous garbage dump “La Chureca.” Rodriguez warns that dangerous levels of heavy metals such as lead, zinc and mercury have been found in the soil underneath “La Chureca,” which is situated on the banks of the lake. All three experts also agree that, while the current project to build a sewage plant to process Managua's organic waste is a positive step, it will not go anyway near far enough to save Xolotlan.
Rodriguez said that the first step toward preserving Nicaragua's two biggest lakes should be to carry out detailed studies to define exactly to what extent the water is contaminated, what it is contaminated with and where the contamination comes from.
The next mega project after the construction of the sewage plant would have to be the eradication of “La Chureca,” said Rodriguez.
Topic 3: 15% increase agreed for minimum wage
On Jan. 17 after ten days of negotiations, representatives of the Ministry of Public Finance, the biggest labor unions and the small, medium and micro companies, signed an agreement for an immediate 15% increase in the minimum wage. Mario Zelaya, the representative of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) which represents Nicaragua's major capitalists, did not sign the agreement saying “there was no pressing need” to do so as the increase had already been announced by President Daniel Ortega on Jan. 16. During the negotiations COSEP had been pushing for a 12% increase while the National Workers Front demanded a 20% increase.
Luis Barboza, representative of the National Workers Front said the 15% increase would translate into $14.74 more a month for 90,000 free trade zone workers, 90,000 construction workers, 30,000 workers in the service sector and 650,000 workers in the countryside.
According to Director of the National Workers Front Gustavo Porras, the minimum wage has experienced a 14% increase above inflation over the last year. He described a 14% increase in real terms as a “victory” for workers, although he acknowledged that above inflation rate increases in the price of certain basic products like beans would take away from the value of this 14% increase for many workers.
Topic 4: Desperate S.O.S of Mayangna communities
Econayo Taylor, the president of the Association of Communities of the Mayangna Sauni As Territory, travelled to Managua to make an urgent call to the authorities to do something for the 6,623 people he represents who were severely affected by Hurricane Felix on Sept. 4, 2007. According to Taylor, very little food and other aid is reaching the Mayangna communities because the local authorities in Puerto Cabezas (where most of the aid is sent) claim that the area was not badly affected by the hurricane.
Taylor said that the crops sowed in the communities after Felix have all been destroyed by an uncontrollable plague of rats which, as well as causing famine, is causing a disease to spread among community members. Taylor said the rats eat everything they find in houses and bite when shooed away. Since the infestation began, numerous people in the communities have experienced vomiting, fevers and bloody diarrhea. “It looks like the rest of the country thinks we are fine,” said Taylor, “but we are hungry, we are surrounded by plagues and disease, this is an S.O.S.”
On Jan. 15 Ministry of Agriculture official, Martin Rosales, said that the government would be distributing 3,300 kilos of rat poison and 30,000 rat traps to communities affected by the plague in the RAAN during the next two weeks. The Ministry also plans to carry out workshops to train community leaders in ways to combat the plague of rats.
Topic 5: Government announces nutrition and health care programs for children
As of Feb. 4, when the school year begins, the government will implement the Program of Integrated Care for Nicaraguan Children in 66 municipalities across the country. As part of the program, the Ministries of Education, Health and the Family will work together to provide support and advice about nutrition, health care, education and recreation to the care providers of children between birth and six years of age. Medical treatment will also be available for the children as will food for children suffering from malnutrition. Rural areas will be prioritized as part of the program. The program will be financed by a US$10 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank.
Also during 2008 the Ministry of Education plans to fund the creation of kitchen gardens in 800 schools in different regions of the country. Currently there are only 100 kitchen gardens in Nicaraguan schools which were implemented during 2007 as part of the government's Education, Development and Nutritional Security Strategy. Different food products including basic grains, fruits and vegetables are grown in the gardens and are used to provide school meals for pupils.
This hotline is prepared from the Nicaragua News Service and other sources. To receive a more extensive weekly summary of the news from Nicaragua by e-mail or postal service, send a check for $60.00 to Nicaragua Network, 1247 E St., SE, Washington, DC 20003. We can be reached by phone at 202-544-9355. Our web site is: www.nicanet.org. To subscribe to the Hotline, send an e-mail to nicanet@afgj.org
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