Posted on September 8, 2025
Various citizen organizations and environmental collectives in Entre Ríos issued a public statement expressing their firm opposition to the dredging projects in the Uruguay and Gualeguaychú rivers.
These maneuvers are driven by business sectors that, as they denounce, prioritize private interests over the common good.
Dredging of the Uruguay River: questioning the use of public funds
They denounce a costly project that would benefit the extractive forestry industry.
The statement warns about the uncertain destination of millions of dollars in public resources, which would be used to finance dredging projects that would only benefit private groups linked to the extractivist model. The organizations point out that:
- Funds could be allocated to health and education
- The project does not generate quality local employment
- The environmental impact would be irreversible, affecting water quality and biodiversity
Waterway serving foreign exports
The dredging up to Concordia would favor logistical interests in southern Brazil.
The collectives denounce that the extension of the dredging does not respond to local needs, but seeks to turn the Uruguay River into a waterway to facilitate the export of soy, eucalyptus, and iron ore from Brazil. This would imply:
- State investment to reduce logistical costs for foreign conglomerates
- Environmental impact borne by Argentina without sovereign benefits
Dredging of the Gualeguaychú River: a project for nautical and extractive interests
The transformation of the river in favor of private ventures is questioned.
The dredging project in Gualeguaychú is described as a pharaonic work aimed at allowing the access of private vessels to the Yacht Club, instead of using the natural mouth in the Uruguay River. Additionally, it is denounced:
- A hidden business of sand extraction
- Risks to family tourism and community recreation
- Advancement of nautical neighborhoods that could privatize the coast
Concern about the dredging of the Uruguay and Gualeguaychú rivers
Environmental and social impacts of dredging
Pollution, loss of public access, and transformation of the river landscape.
The organizations warn that turning the rivers into waterways for boats and sand barges would cause:
- Noise and fuel pollution
- Increased risk of accidents for swimmers and athletes
- Loss of free access to the river and advancement of real estate businesses
Citizen call: defense of the river, the environment, and sovereignty
The organizations call for collective action to stop the dredging projects of the Uruguay and Gualeguaychú rivers.
Faced with these scenarios, the collectives call on the community to:
- Get informed about the real impacts of dredging
- Organize in defense of common goods
- Mobilize to protect the rivers, the environment, and territorial sovereignty
“Our rivers are not commodities or logistical corridors for external interests. They are part of our identity, our environmental health, and our right to the territory,” they affirm.
