MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia unloads fuel in Arica where classes are suspended after hydrocarbons smelled in water

No link has been corroborated between the unloading of fuel for Bolivia and the smelling presence of hydrocarbons in Arica's water

The Chilean port of Arica saw 236,000 barrels of fuel unloaded for Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) while the city prepares for two days with no on-site classes as the local drinking water has been deemed unfit for human consumption given its hydrocarbon odor.

“YPFB unloaded more than 236,000 barrels of oil from Arica, Chile, which will supply the domestic market. Our logistics operates 24/7 to give certainty to the population,” the Bolivian state-owned oil company announced on social media.

“A diesel ship has been received at the Arica terminal, which is already entering the country, which should give peace of mind to the Bolivian population,” announced last week Bolivia's National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) Executive Director Germán Jiménez after the arrival of the Hellas Avatar ship at YPFB's Sica Sica Terminal in Arica.

The fuel is sent to Sica Sica through a 1.5-kilometer-long underwater pipeline and four additional kilometers through Arica's urban area before reaching YPFB's facilities for subsequent shipment to Bolivian territory.

Coincidentally, classes have been suspended Monday and Tuesday in 58 Arica schools after hydrocarbons were smelled in the drinking water supplied by the Aguas del Altiplano company to around 18,000 customers. There has been no corroboration that the two events are linked in any way besides circumstantial coincidences regarding the presence of hydrocarbons.

In this scenario, people were advised “not to consume” grid drinking water pending laboratory tests. In the meantime, Aguas del Altiplano will be delivering water to several points in the affected area.

Aguas del Altiplano Arica manager Claudia Rojas said Sunday that “there is no evidence of the presence of hydrocarbons” in a sample studied in the area by a third-party company but further lab results were still due from Santiago.

“The situation in which we find ourselves today, only affects 25% of the customers located mainly in the Cerro La Cruz sector and downtown, for whom we have always maintained the continuity of sanitary service,” she added.

Chile's Superintendency of Sanitary Services (SISS) announced an investigation had been launched to determine Aguas del Altiplano's responsibilities in the case.