Six states of the country are in emergency mode and the most affected are: Apure, Amazonas, Delta Amacuro and Bolívar. These concentrate the majority of the humble populations of Venezuela.
The heavy rains caused by tropical waves this year in Venezuela, have produced the largest flood recorded since 2018. The river has risen to 19.10 meters above sea level until Saturday, August 19 in Bolívar and until the 55.28 meters in the Amazon. Both surpassing the previous marks of 1976, while the meteorological forecasts estimate that the rains will continue. The floods in Venezuela have affected more than 65 thousand families so far, families that have lost everything.
Studies made indicated that these annual floods could cause this human disaster due to poor urban planning and the lack of control and mitigation measures.
The Orinoco River, the third largest freshwater stream on the planet, runs through seven states of Venezuela, from the south to the east. The researchers assure that this emergency has not been caused by “the Mining Arc or the destruction of areas such as the Imataca Forest Reserve, but by poor planning in risk management and allowing construction in floodplain areas. As is castillito, the monkeys sector, Puerto Ordaz, an area that is the most affected in the Bolivar state.
Little castle, sector monkeys.
The inhabitants of the castillito sector denounce that they have lost their homes and belongings, children with diarrhea, dehydration and fungus on the skin are reported. In this region, in the extreme east of Venezuela, the emergency was decreed on July 18, but the aid has barely arrived. With what little they can, the population takes refuge in rural schools where there are no showers or drinking water.
Planned disaster;
The environmental engineer, Jhonny Santodomingo, said on social networks that the emergency that affects seven states of Venezuela today could be foreseen. And he mentioned the study on extreme floods, prepared by the Bolivar government's environmental department and in which he participated, which warned about the social, economic and environmental impact that a “historic” flood of the Orinoco River would produce in the capital of Bolívar. In this state, the most extensive in the country and where the largest deposits of gold, diamond and coltan are found, as well as a rich biodiversity that includes thousands of little-studied plants in the plateaus called tepuis, Canaima National Park and Angel Falls, More than 11,000 people are estimated to be affected. Of these, more than 7,000 are in 80 temporary shelters set up to deal with the emergency.
In the study, carried out together with Carlos Castillejo, it is explained that anthropogenic processes increase the effects of this natural process that could turn into a major tragedy.
Meanwhile, aid to the north of Ciudad Bolívar continues. José Félix Leal, from the NGO Phynatura, says that the main problem is the stagnation of sewage water that has not been able to be discharged. "When this goes down, the excrement will remain in the streets," said a neighbor who preferred to protect her name after leaving her home.
Government authorities also speak of damage in other municipalities such as Gran Sabana - where the Canaima National Park is located with 30 million hectares - and Sucre, on the banks of the Caura River, where 52 aboriginal communities live. Once again, the complexity of the accesses, the failures of the telecommunications and the official censorship do not allow a complete balance of damages to be established until the Orinoco drops again.