Peru faces water versus oil dilemma

…Last month, Peru’s top court ruled that oil exploration should be halted in the protected Cordillera Escalera mountains while the government approves the regional development plan.

In a country where the faith in the independence of the judiciary is only gradually being restored, the Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling was unexpected.

The ruling set an important precedent as it was based on the international human right to drinkable water.

“It also pointed out something extremely important,” says lawyer Jaime Bustamante, who worked pro bono on the case for more than two years.

“You can’t jeopardise the health of future generations for the immediate gain from natural resources. Until now that has been a rare concept in this country.”

BBC