The president of the Municipal Council of Maracaibo, José Bermúdez, views with concern the current situation of contamination and abandonment that Lake Maracaibo presents, since the regime is in charge of its sanitation and maintenance.
Correspondent lapatilla.com
Bermúdez pointed out that the environmental and economic damage caused by the constant oil spills is unquantifiable, and so far no definitive actions are in sight to solve the problem generated by PDVSA with the leaks in the pipes.
Likewise, the counsilman noted that the lake receives loads of pollutants of different nature and origin, causing damage to aquatic biodiversity and coastal areas, affecting the health and economy of the communities that have the lake as a way of life.
“Its contamination is not only produced by oil spills, it is also due to the constant appearance of the natural phenomenon of Lenna (water plant bloom), salinization, domestic and industrial sewage discharges, garbage on the coasts, plastic and verdigris(algal bloom), which must be approached globally to reach possible solutions,” emphasized Bermúdez.
Oil activity in lake waters generates sources of contamination from oil spills, which has always caused problems for the environment, but the situation is reaching its bearable limits.
The president of the Chamber explained that the spills originate from various related causes, linked mostly to oil extraction operations.
He also pointed out that there are open pit oil rigs, and when it rains in the areas where they are located, their level rises and the oil spills into the lake.
“In the case of Zulia, PDVSA has 15 tank farms in the state where oil is stored on the banks of the lake. The number of active, inactive and abandoned wells within the lake exceeds 60,000. Add to that outdated and abandoned infrastructure, the multiple flow pumping stations, plus the thousands of kilometers of pipeline, and we see spills everywhere.”
The mayor urged the mayors and municipal councils of Zulia state to create a commonwealth that promotes a solid campaign that forces the regime, ICLAM, PDVSA, the Western Division, the National Assembly and the forces of the Zulia region, to achieve the approval of the Lake Maracaibo Sanitation Program Bill.