National Lempa River Day, El Salvador

The Tri-national Network for the Rescue of the Lempa River operates under the theme of work axes, in which actions are planned that contribute to reducing problems that directly affect the Lempa River. On this occasion, Axis 3 of the Network has been announced. In this context, a piece of correspondence has been drafted which will be presented to the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador.

The Lempa River supplies drinking water to 1.5 million people in the San Salvador metropolitan area and provides 28% of the national energy demand. Its basin is home to 3.8 million people in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Despite its importance, the Lempa River is heavily polluted along almost its entire course by different sources of pollution generated in the three countries.

The Lempa River basin has a wide variety of ecosystems spread over more than 2,800 meters of altitude difference and almost 18,000 square kilometers of area distributed between Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. These ecosystems represent a large part of Central America's natural heritage, home to thousands of species that need our common commitment to the conservation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to ensure their survival.

March 14 is World Day of Action in Defense of Rivers and Against Dams. Every year, thousands of people around the world raise their voices to celebrate the world's rivers and those who fight to protect them.

Therefore, as citizens, we join the petition of the Tri-national Network for the Rescue of the Lempa River, which requests that the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador issue a Legislative Decree declaring March 14 as National Lempa River Day, establishing that all public and private institutions promote the importance of protecting the Lempa River and its basin.

The Lempa River is life. #RescatemosElLempa

You can sign the petition at https://www.change.org/RescatemosElLempa