CARACAS.- A hydrocarbon spill is affecting some beaches in the state of Carabobo, on the northern coast of Venezuela, several environmental organizations reported this Wednesday.
The spill began on Tuesday, said the NGO Azul Environmentalistas, Yohan Flores. “A large part of the beaches of Puerto Cabello (Carabobo) are affected.”
The state oil company PDVSA has not commented on the event that some NGOs, such as Fundación Caribe Sur, attribute to the “overflow of an oxidation lagoon at the El Palito refinery”, one of the most important in the country.
A brief minute from the National Risk Management System also reported on a “hydrocarbon spill from the waste lagoon” without offering further details.
Damage
“A large part of the beaches of Puerto Cabello (Carabobo) are affected,” said Flores, warning about the damage that this can bring to the fauna.
In the area there are PDVSA commissions, volunteers and fishermen working on the cleanup. The National Organization for Rescue and Maritime Safety of the Aquatic Spaces of Venezuela (ONSA) also called for participation in an “environmental contingency” maneuver.
Fishermen stated that they will not be able to fish for the next two months.
The last time an oil spill was recorded in this area was in July 2020, when waste from this refinery also overflowed into the sea.
The spill recorded at that time contaminated the Morrocoy National Park, a tourist area with twenty islets with crystal clear waters and white sand.
“The lack of investment, the lack of maintenance, the lack of controls have led to this type of spills occurring at the El Palito refinery,” Flores added.
Venezuela, which has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, saw its production fall from 3 million barrels a day more than a decade ago to 400,000 in 2020 as a result of corruption, mismanagement and US sanctions.
With a production of 850,000 barrels per day, Venezuela hopes to climb to 900,000 barrels per day at the beginning of 2024, and exceed one million barrels during the course of the year.
Source: AFP
