In Venezuela, 86 oil spills were recorded during 2022, an average of 7 per month, registered in seven states of the country, according to the report publication of the Observatory of Political Ecology (OEP), published this Tuesday.
He explained that these spills, counted from information published on social networks and local media, took place in Zulia (31), Falcón (29), Anzoátegui (14), Monagas (5), Carabobo (3), Delta Amacuro (2 ) and Portuguese (2).
The OEP assured that these events affect marine and terrestrial ecosystems, but that there is no official information regarding the number of barrels spilled. Neither about the dimensions of the affected areas and the actions that have been carried out to remedy the environmental impacts after each incident.
In addition, he assured that these spills have direct implications both in the communities that live from fishing activity. This is because the oil damages their work elements and forces them to enter the sea. It also harms agricultural producers and peasant communities, who lose their crops and livestock.
Fires in PDVSA and accidents in basic industries
“In 2022, in addition to constant reports of spills, there were also fires and explosions at different PDVSA facilities. The OEP registered a total of 10 of these accidents that occurred in the country,” said the observatory, which explained that, in “many” cases, “after an oil spill a fire is generated.”
In 2022, the observatory also recorded other accidents in basic industries, such as the dispersion of calcined alumina (aluminum oxide) in Bolívar state, a substance that can cause damage to the body and affect the lungs.
The organization concluded that there is “a pattern of abandonment of socio-environmental management by PDVSA, which implies that they stopped attending to contingencies generated by the industry and the respective ills that they cause in local populations.”
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— Observatory of Political Ecology of Venezuela (@ecopoliticave) June 6, 2023
