Officials in Paraguay warned Thursday of a potential environmental disaster because a flooding river is threatening a dump site for toxic residues. State environmental chief Marina Cristina Morales said the Paraguay River already has flooded the Cateura dump in the capital, Asuncion. The river has risen almost 2 meters above normal, though it still was 2.8 meters below the level of a containment site for toxic waste. "If the river continues to rise, we will likely be facing an environmental disaster," Morales said. The lower chamber of Congress approved the declaration of an environmental emergency alert on Thursday, and the Senate was expected to approve the use of more resources. The flooding, which followed days of heavy rains, already has forced the evacuation of about 300,000 people near the Paraguay and Parana Rivers. Paraguay's weather service forecasts that the swollen rivers will start to slowly recede back to their normal levels by August.
