There are 447 "mecheros" that burn or release the gas associated with oil working day and night in the regions of the Ecuadorian Amazon, its inhabitants know them as "the mecheros of death". The highest cancer rates on the American continent are found in the areas where they are located. The oil appears in bags underground which, when extracted, release the gas associated with the crude. This gas can be used, as is done in other countries, to produce energy. However, the Ecuadorian government allows oil companies to burn or vent it in these lighters with devastating consequences for the environment and the communities living in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
For Panos Pictures - Public Eyes
Johis Alarcon Photography
Johis Alarcon is a female Ecuadorian photojournalist whose work is focused on socio-cultural humanitarian and gender issues, primarily in Latin America.
