Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - June 22, 2024 - The Iquitos-El Estrecho highway project in Peru is a massive cement and iron structure that connects Iquitos, Peru's northeast, to the El Estrecho district on the Colombian border.

The project, which spans 188 kilometers, is facing opposition from Indigenous tribes who fear it will lead to land grabbing, deforestation, and drug trafficking.

The construction of the bridge is at a standstill as the government conducts a study of the area. Indigenous leaders claim that communities along the highway route have not been consulted, and they want their rights to be respected.

Perus' Ministry of Transportation has already built the country's largest bridge, which extends 2.3 kilometers over the Nanay River. Indigenous leaders also fear that the highway will lead to the loss of land, animals, fish, water, and forest, which they believe will result in a loss of life without water.

The Ministry of Transportation claims that the project's objective is to connect people along the path and promote local economies, strengthen trade, and bring security to border areas. However, a report by Peruvian Society of Environmental Law, a nonprofit, claims that land-grabbing and deforestation have already occurred in Indigenous lands.