Global Courant
The Dios es Fiel settlement, formerly known as Kjell Laugerud García, president who governed Guatemala between 1974 and 1978, is experiencing painful moments right now.
This September 25, 2023, at around 2 hours, they suffered the worst tragedy since they came to occupy those lands under the El Naranjo bridge, in zone 7 of Guatemala City, 12 years ago.
The community leader, Esaú González, told Prensa Libre, visibly shaken, that what happened to the 19 missing people has been shocking, among whom a majority of minors stand out. In fact, the first body they located was that of a 5-year-old girl.
“We are very sad about what happened. We are sorry for what has happened to these families. We continue working to find them, together with the rescue forces,” says González.
According to the community leader, for now they urgently need psychological support, food and clothing for the survivors.
“Of course we have fought for years to have decent housing, but now immediate support is urgently needed,” says González.
To support these families you can call Esaú González, from the Dios es Fiel Settlement, at +502 4955 3810
Poor people
The settlement began its journey in 2011. The families who came to the place built their houses themselves, which are small, made of sheet metal and wood. For now they only have electricity and public lighting. It does not have drinking water.
Currently there are about 200 families residing there, who on many occasions have been benefited by the governments in power with the delivery of food bags.
According to Gonzáles, they are low-income people who moved from the communities of San Marcos, Quiché, Alta Verapaz and Jutiapa, for example, in search of better opportunities in the capital of the Republic.
In this place, González says, live people who work in Guatemala City, as couriers or in building maintenance tasks. The children study, for the most part, in the establishments that are in the Bethania neighborhood, zone 7.
The representative of the neighbors assures that last night it did not rain so hard and intense in the area. But the sewage river that runs through the settlement, and empties into the Las Vacas River, grew so large because they usually dump gravel up above and “that could have caused the problem.”
The authorities have confirmed that in a part of that channel a dam was formed and the force of the water broke it and rushed down towards where the six homes that were destroyed were located.
“The houses of these families were built about 25 meters from the shore of the black water river, very close,” González recalls.
He adds that about two years ago the same thing happened due to “a rubble dump, but thanks to the intervention of the Municipality, they stopped throwing it into the river. We were no longer at risk, but I don’t know if they placed another clandestine dump and that’s why this happened.”
“What we believe to be that gravel dump blocked the passage of the river and when it was managed to uncover, the flow let itself come with force and suddenly hit a water source that we have here. When hit at birth That was when it gained the most strength and took the tin houses with it,” he says.
The auxiliary mayor of zone 7 assures that between 2004 and 2005 the area was declared high risk. There were people living very close to the blackwater river. However, they gave families the opportunity to stay in another lower-risk area.
The matter, according to the auxiliary mayor’s office, people returned to inhabit the place. While the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) confirms that upstream a landslide was recorded which caused a dam and this in turn a dam, which ultimately caused the problem below.
A PNC agent and a municipal firefighter erect a bed structure in the Dios es Fiel settlement, zone 7 of the capital. (Free Press Photo: María José Bonilla). Panoramic view of the area where the Dios es Fiel settlement is located, under the El Naranjo bridge. (Free Press Photo: María José Bonilla). Residents of the settlement and municipal employees in zone 0 of the disaster on September 25. (Free Press Photo: Esaú González, neighbor). The current of the black water river that runs through the Dios es Fiel settlement destroyed everything in its path. (Free Press Photo: Esaú González, neighbor).
