Toxic Waters: The pollution of Lake San Roque and the influence of hotel companies on the environment

Abstract

In the following Final Degree Project, the current situation of water pollution in Lake San Roque, located in Punilla, Córdoba province, Argentina, and the contribution to it by hotel and gastronomy companies in the area, specifically in the city of Villa Carlos Paz, recognized worldwide as one of the major tourism and student tourism capitals, are analyzed. An introduction is carried out to get to know the Howard Johnson Villa Carlos Paz Hotel, one of the most representative and luxurious hotels in the city, which will serve as a representative of the major hotel chains that claim to be great defenders of the environment and ecosystem care policies. The current situation of lake pollution, its history, and the initial cases of sewage discharge into its waters are analyzed. Also, various proposals to solve the problem and their results are examined. Finally, the creation of a four-episode podcast is proposed, in which the situation will be addressed together with expert guests in pollution, doctors, and specialists, in order to raise awareness about the issue and influence the population to demand
effective solutions. To achieve this, quantitative research methods such as Surveys and
Content Analysis were used, alongside qualitative research methods such as Interviews, Document Analysis and Observation.