Posted on September 1, 2025
The recent admission by the Argentine State regarding the complete absence of environmental records related to the dredging of the Paraná River exposes an alarming institutional void. For over two decades, no impact studies or citizen consultation processes were carried out on one of the country’s most relevant infrastructure projects.
The Subsecretariat of Environment, formerly a Ministry, admitted before the Judiciary that they lack technical background on the widening or modifications of the river’s course. This revelation came to light within the framework of an environmental lawsuit driven by citizen organizations seeking to halt the progress of an unchecked extractive model.
The absence of technical assessments and state interventions means that the Paraná River has been subjected to intensive exploitation without environmental protection guarantees. This river is crucial for biodiversity, water supply, and the economic activity of thousands of riverside communities.
The situation is even more serious considering it unfolded in a scenario marked by hydrological crises and historic low water levels. Dredging and redredging works progressed without updated analyses of their ecological and social impacts, or public debate instances.
Investigating irregularities in the dredging of the Paraná River.
Dredging of the Paraná River without studies, a collective risk
An emblematic case is the “Las Hermanas” passage, in front of Ramallo, where interventions were carried out without any kind of environmental monitoring. This left wetlands, migratory species, and productive activities dependent on the river’s balance exposed.
A report from the Office of Administrative Investigations also pointed out irregularities in the bidding process planned for 2025, leading to its postponement. This document was crucial for the Federal Chamber to demand the delivery of environmental information that had been nonexistent until then.
The problem goes beyond the lack of studies. Concurrently, the dismantling of the National Authority for the Control and Management of the Navigable Waterway eliminated one of the few independent oversight mechanisms. This decision left the Paraná River without effective monitoring and without minimal guarantees of compliance with current legislation.
The absence of the State in regulating the waterway not only compromises the river’s biodiversity but also violates basic human rights, such as access to safe water and citizen participation in decisions affecting common goods.
Paraná Waterway: Impacts and Challenges
The Paraná Waterway constitutes the most important river corridor in South America. It is a strategic axis for the national economy as it handles a significant portion of grain, mineral, and fuel exports. However, the pressure on the ecosystem has reached critical levels.
Continuous dredging alters the river’s depth and course, disrupting the natural sediment cycles. This directly impacts wetlands, crucial for climate regulation and for absorbing excess water during flooding periods.
Another issue is the loss of habitats for fish and migratory birds that rely on the river and its banks for feeding and reproduction. The reduction of these populations threatens both regional biodiversity and the food security of communities dependent on artisanal fishing.
Conflicts over the waterway.
Other Factors to Consider
To this, we add the erosion of coasts and the advance of invasive species, favored by artificial changes in water flow. The American mink and the golden apple snail are examples of how altering natural balances facilitates the proliferation of species that displace native ones.
The waterway also poses a social and economic dilemma: while driving foreign trade, its environmental costs burden local populations with reduced water quality, diminished flood protection, and limited sustainable productive possibilities.
