A/HRC/4/32/Add.2 page 11 Imbabura. In addition to lacking such basic services as electricity, telephone, drinking water and sewerage, they face pressure from logging companies on their forests; gold-mining companies, which have had concessions since the 1980s; and oil palm companies. These activities are placing pressure on Awá resources, forcing many members of the community to emigrate to the cities. 28. Currently, the region’s most serious problem is the aerial spraying of illicit crops on the Colombian side of the border, using glysophate mixed with other products, under the auspices of Plan Colombia (see the report of the Special Rapporteur on Colombia, E/CN.4/2005/88/Add.2). Damage caused by this practice has affected Ecuador, particularly its indigenous communities, and has given rise to complaints by the Ecuadorian Government and to bilateral negotiations between the two countries. International studies indicate that this practice has negative effects on environmental resources and the health of people and animals. Skin and other diseases, pollution of rivers and aquifers, and other damage have been reported. Furthermore, spraying has been seen as having serious effects on banana plantations and varieties of tuber crops, the local staple. In addition, the population often uses untreated water from the river forming the border between the two countries. 29. In some communities in Sucumbíos, short-cycle crops are disappearing fewer than 15 days after spraying. It is stated that, four years after the spraying began, some banana varieties, yucca, maize, fruit trees and aromatic herbs have disappeared, or their yield has considerably diminished. It is alleged that spraying has also had a negative effect on the health and food security of border populations by polluting their water sources and the aquatic life. Complaints have been made concerning large traces in many rivers, including the Mira river in the province of Esmeraldas, of the chemical product used for spraying in Colombia. The situation of these river communities is a matter of concern, as they use the river for domestic purposes. 30. Some indigenous communities in the area, including the Awá, are vulnerable and this is particularly worrying. In addition to the impact of spraying, they complain that their rights are being violated and that they are being subject to other abuses. They protest that their rights to food and health have been affected by spraying. Apparently, after spraying, the entire Sumac Pamba community was displaced and did not return to their place of origin. As a consequence, it appears that the local wildlife, which provided a source of daily consumption, both for households and for recreational purposes, has died and various activities have been affected, as polluted water cannot be used. Spraying appears to be destroying subsistence crops, diminishing soil quality and reducing yields, affecting both the economic activities of communities and the population’s access to adequate food. In addition to the involuntary displacements caused by these activities, attention is also drawn to the lack of access to public services and the militarization of the border zone. 31. Another study carried out in Sucumbíos province on children and education in schools concluded that, since the implementation of Plan Colombia, there has been an upsurge in armed conflict and violence in the area and the number of children in schools has halved. Children go to school irregularly and teachers are working in precarious conditions as the area is one of high risk. Conditions were unsanitary in 45 per cent of schools visited. Children became ill for months on end owing to effects from spraying, and only half of the teachers had the necessary teaching materials.