Guatemalan residents protest against new local plant

Guatemalan residents are protesting against a factory under planning by Cementos Progreso in San Juan Sacatepéqyuez, some 30km northwest of Guatemala City, according to local press.

Members of 12 local communities claim they were not consulted prior to works commencing and that emissions from the plant will affect the local environment.

The cement factory will be built in the area to serve construction of a 24km highway known as the "Anillo Regional" that will connect the departments of Guatemala, Quiché, Baja Verapaz and Chimaltenango.

The highway is expected to cost 150mn quetzals (US$19.2m) and works are being carried out under a public-private partnership, in which Cementos Progreso is participating.

President Otto Pérez inaugurated the start of construction works in May and defended the project, saying that it would bring development to the area, according to a release from the presidency.