The uncertain fate of human hair collected by groups and municipalities

Repsol 's ecocide and the lack of contingency protocols demanded prompt organization from the public: in addition to volunteering, he applied the use of hair as an alternative to mitigate the damage caused by oil in the Peruvian sea.

Four municipalities (Metropolitan Lima, San Miguel, Pueblo Libre and Rímac) established cut-off and collection points, in joint work with groups. The commune of Metropolitan Lima, for example, collected hair for the first time on January 22. Three days later, the Ministry of the Environment (Minam) specified that under its coordination no collection has been made and that the use of human hair is ineffective compared to the 6,000 barrels of crude oil spilled.

Two organizations that set up different collection points were identified: Bio Ambientalistas Peru and Hair Boom Peru . Both were contacted to find out the procedure they will follow, but only one responded. Environmentalists said they will not offer interviews “until the stage of tests and studies being carried out by the engineers is completed. (...) we have been working in an orderly manner, since we know the impact and importance that (the) project could have“.

For his part, he wrote to the director of Hair Boom, Sol Cerna, and received no response.

Bio Environmentalists Peru

Described in their networks as a “collective (of) volunteers (who are) united to help clean the sea from the Repsol oil spill. Without political colors”, it is about a group of civilians who came together on January 18 for the crude oil spilled on the Peruvian coast. This temporary NGO works in partnership with the Municipality of Lima, which confirmed it on its social networks.

In addition to their joint planning, the Environmentalists account reports collection points in the districts of Ventanilla, Miraflores, La Molina, San Borja, San Miguel, Los Olivos, Barranco, San Isidro, Pueblo Libre, Jesús María, Magdalena, Villa El Salvador and San Juan del Lurigancho. 13 of the 43 in total that exist in the capital area.

This newsroom tried to communicate through the mobile phone left by the organization. Having no response, he consulted on WhatsApp. The number is from a company that sells shoes.

On the other hand, according to a statement from the group on social networks, the first collection ended today, Tuesday, January 25. They also announced a second stage, of which they do not offer more information. "The advances through our official channels," they indicate.

In the recent publication of the Ministry of the Environment, in which he dismisses the hair as an immediate contribution to stop the hydrocarbon, a user tagged the Bio Environmentalists account, and it replied: “We will be updating and reporting our action plan. We are aware that it is not a measure that solves the disaster. We seek to act as a complement to attenuate to some extent what has occurred. Given the need and the inaction of State agencies and private officials, the group made up of professionals in the field has responded to the aid.

For the description of communal management, La República spoke with Jessica Huamán, councilor of Metropolitan Lima. She confirmed that "the metropolitan council has not passed any agreement for this purpose (the collection of hair) with any company in particular."

Hair boom Peru

The description of this organization says: “We are a community of multidisciplinary volunteers who seek to contribute through sustainable technology to care for the environment. In addition, we will not campaign for anyone."

A statement published today, January 25, states: "Hair Boom Peru's action plan is still underway, we will not back down (...). We will send an invitation to the State institutions: MINAM and OEFA, to arrange a formal meeting“. The digitized trade was shared after environmental authorities have said that the cohesion of hair is an "ineffective tool".

This group has more scope than the previous one, since it has collection points not only in the country's capital, but also in different provinces. There is even more than one delivery and pick-up center in the same district, in the case of Metropolitan Lima.

Ex officio presentation to clarify the information

The aforementioned Jessica Huamán, councilor of MML, sent an urgent letter on January 24 to the City Services and Environmental Management Department to answer the questions that revolve around the fate of the collected hair.

“I was in dialogue with some experts on the matter and they precisely communicated to me the concern that there was not only in the massive calls that were being made by social organizations, but by the municipalities themselves. It must be considered that they are public entities that, after all, put the stamp on a call that, in the framework of (scientific) evidence, was a bit uncertain”, Huaman said.

The authority of the commune wondered, after listening to the expertise, about the fate of the hair and if there is a protocol of the organizations that guarantees good practices. Around the application of human hair there are still doubts , and not only because of the definition of the Minam and OEFA announcement.

Huamán herself said that the academics consulted are still in the articulation of prototypes to know if the combination of hair is efficient or not on the national coast. "We have a lot of time left to know if that prototype is going to work or not in the Peruvian sea," she warned.

There is not a lot of execution time. Artisanal fishermen who had a diet based on the consumption of marine animals and a lifestyle close to the sea have no future. Now they depend on well-made donations. The calculations estimate that the 6,000 barrels of oil could affect up to 960 square kilometers of the coast, according to the information available as of January 22.

In seven calendar days, the councilor Huamán should receive a response from the letter attached below: