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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!daemon
- From: Christic Institute <christic@igc.apc.org>
- Subject: IPS: Results of Nicaragua Tidal Wave
- Message-ID: <1992Sep5.143632.27897@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
- Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
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- Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 14:36:32 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 59
-
- /* Written 12:11 am Sep 5, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
- /* ---------- "NICARAGUA: TIDAL WAVE SLAMS AN ALRE" ---------- */
- Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
- print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
-
- Reference: Trade & Finance
- Title: NICARAGUA: TIDAL WAVE SLAMS AN ALREADY DEBILITATED ECONOMY
-
-
- san jose, sep 2 (ips/latin american desk) -- tuesday night's
- tidal wave brought more human and material destruction to a
- country whose gross domestic product (gdp) slumped from four
- billion dollars to 1.5 billion dollars between 1970 and 1990.
-
- the downward plunge in nicaragua's economy in that twenty-year
- period was the cumulative result of natural disasters, social and
- political conflict and environmental destruction.
-
- the cycle of calamities to which the 15-metre waves that
- flogged nicaragua's pacific coast on tuesday added their
- destructive might, began with an earthquake that smashed the
- capital, managua, in december 1972, killing 10,000 people and
- razing the town almost entirely.
-
- the nationwide insurrection in 1978-1979 against the
- dictatorship of anastasio somoza, whose army bombed nicaragua's
- main towns in trying to put down the rebellion, was followed by a
- period of hope after the anti-somoza coalition won in july 1979.
-
- but these illusions were nipped in the bud by a low intensity
- war waged by anti-government rebels (contras), supported by the
- administration of u.s. president ronald reagan, in the 1980s.
-
- and as nicaragua battled with hyperinflation, the consequences
- of the new civil war and a u.s.-imposed trade blockade,
- 'hurricane joan' swept through the country's atlantic coast in
- 1988, devastating tropical forests and destroying ports and
- villages.
-
- an protracted drought this year and now the tidal wave dim
- even further the prospects of nicaragua's 3.5 million
- inhabitants, flagellated by natural, political and economic
- tragedies.
-
- as a corollary to this cycle of disasters, the mismanagement
- of harvests and post-harvest in nicaragua's agricultural sector
- during the 11-year war against the contras irreparably damaged
- the country's natural resources in addition to causing its
- economy to lose millions of dollars.
-
- according to nicaragua's agriculture ministry, national
- problems have been aggravated by the degradation of water sources
- caused by deforestation, wind and water erosion -- which led to
- the disappearance of the best agricultural lands -- and the ill
- effects of agrochemicals, pesticides and fertilizers.
- (end/ips/trd/so/oh-ug/kb/92)
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