Guatemala Court Orders Action on Chinautla River Pollution Affecting Poqomam Community

In 2025 a Guatemalan court ruled in favor of the Poqomam Maya community of Santa Cruz Chinautla, ordering the local government to address contamination of the Chinautla, Tzaljá and Las Vacas rivers. Almost a year later, officials have held only technical meetings while five sand‑mining sites continue operating with expired licences. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment cancelled one licence, but the community reports ongoing river pollution, respiratory illnesses, and damage to traditional pottery.

Community spokesperson Efraín Martínez said, “Here there has been a plan to exterminate the Poqomam people.” He added that the state’s actions reflect discrimination and racism. The broader situation is compounded by the lack of a national water law, open‑dump sites that receive hundreds of trucks of waste daily, and the capital’s sewage – about 60 % of which flows into the Las Vacas River. The Alliance for the Motagua Basin, a coalition of more than 85 public and private entities, is working to restore the watershed over the next decade.

The case highlights the intersection of indigenous rights, environmental degradation, and public‑health concerns in Guatemala.