THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN VENEZUELA - ENVIRONMENT - 2024

The most pressing environmental problems in Venezuela to solve are water and air pollution, the dangerous accumulation of solid waste from cities, soil degradation and deforestation. Likewise, forest fires, visual and sonic pollution, wildlife trafficking and illegal mining are very serious problems that are increasing and are not being dealt with effectively.

These problems are mainly caused by the increase of urban and rural populations, the violation of environmental regulations, industrialization and the indiscriminate exploitation of mineral resources.

Deforestation is one of the main environmental problems in Venezuela

But state policies for the protection and preservation of the environment are not reasonably addressing these multiple problems that are increasing every day.

On the contrary, the state decided to eliminate the Ministry of Popular Power for the Environment, thereby weakening its hierarchy, subordinating it to a recently created unit of the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Ecosocialism.

Main environmental problems of Venezuela

1- Water pollution

It is one of the main pollution problems that the country has at all levels. Water pollution is observed in the sea and beaches, in lakes, rivers, lagoons and other sources of water.

The cause of this problem is mainly untreated water from industries and homes in cities. One of the most polluting industries is hydrocarbons, which generates permanent pollution with frequent oil spills at sea.

The area most affected by oil spills is the southeast coast of the Gulf of Venezuela. To this problem must be added the dumping of industrial waste and products from the petrochemical industry on the beaches and coasts of Falcón state.

Additionally, the oil industry deposits its industrial waste in other bodies of water, such as Lake Maracaibo, also polluting fresh water.

Until recently, the blowing up of oil pipelines by the guerrillas in Colombia was a source of contamination of downstream Venezuelan rivers.

Tourists and inhabitants of coastal areas are also guilty of pollution by depositing plastic and glass containers and other solid waste on beaches and rivers.

Official studies indicate that, in addition to Lake Maracaibo, the most polluted rivers and lakes in the country are: the Guaire and Tuy in the capital region, Lake Valencia and the tributary rivers, and the Tocuyo and Aroa rivers and their valleys.

The Neverí, Unare, Manzanares and Guarapiche rivers, with their tributaries in the eastern region of Venezuela, are also contaminated.

2- Air pollution

Toxic gas emissions from industries located in the capital and central regions, as well as other areas in the country, pollute the air in Venezuela.

Despite being a major source of pollution, no measures are applied to counteract this problem. Among the most polluting industries in the air are also the oil and petrochemical industries.

Other industries established in industrial cities such as Valencia, Maracaibo, Caracas and Puerto Ordaz, are also generating environmental pollution on a daily basis.

No less polluting are the emissions of the millions of private vehicles and public transport that circulate daily in the country. Many of these cars have the exhaust system in poor condition, so the contamination is greater.

The most densely populated cities, especially in the capital region and in the central region, are covered almost daily by a dense layer of smog.

3- Soil contamination

This problem occurs mainly in the agricultural areas of the country, located in the Andean, central western and plains regions.

Vast fertile territories that are being used for agricultural purposes are contaminated or degraded with pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.

The indiscriminate use of these substances deteriorates the quality of soils progressively, until they are rendered useless and sterile.

Resistance to these poisons developed by some pests that invade crops makes farmers use stronger chemicals every time.

This accelerates the degradation of soils, damage to the environment and to the human being, due to the contamination of food and water.

4- Accumulation of solid waste

This is a serious problem in Venezuela today, due to the increasingly recurrent failures in urban collection and cleaning services.

In most of the country's cities, large and small, hundreds of thousands of tons of garbage are accumulating, generating atmospheric and visual pollution.

There are also no solid waste treatment plants for disposal or recycling, so there are hardly any sanitary landfills. Most of these open-air garbage dumps are already exhausted and pollute the environment.

There is no environmental culture in the country, nor plans in execution to promote the maintenance of cleanliness in the cities by the population.

5- Visual contamination

Derived from the problem of the daily accumulation of solid waste in cities and surrounding areas, part of the visual pollution that Venezuela currently suffers is generated.

Millions of tons of garbage affect the landscape in streets and urbanizations of cities, but also in rural areas.

When landfills are closed or saturated with garbage, the waste is illegally dumped in green areas.

Political propaganda and commercial advertising affixed to walls, walls and billboards are another source of visual pollution in cities and highways.

Lately, due to the abandonment of the government, the progressive deterioration of land routes, public and private infrastructure, urban furniture, among other aspects, has been generated. This has contributed to increasing this type of contamination.

6- Deforestation

The destruction of forests and jungles, of protected natural areas such as national parks and reservoirs of flora and fauna, is another environmental problem that affects the country.

Due to the current oil and mining exploitation, large tracts of forest and jungle in Venezuela are being deforested and destroyed almost irreversibly. This is happening in an alarming way in the states of Bolívar and Amazonas.

Similarly, other green territories are being deforested for agricultural or urban purposes, causing serious damage to ecosystems and native flora and fauna.

7- Illegal mining

Parallel to deforestation is pollution caused by illegal mining in the southern region of the country. Armies of legal and illegal miners are generating true ecocides in vast territories rich in mineral resources (gold, diamonds, coltan, among others).

Apart from the damage it causes to the environment, mining is a source of violence in these territories controlled by mafias by 85%, according to estimates by the Mining Chamber.

For example, in 2006 legal gold production in Venezuela was 14.7 tons, and in 2015 this figure was reduced to less than one ton.

8- Noise pollution

The lack of regulation or application of standards that regulate noise, especially in cities, is another of the environmental problems that the country suffers.

The noise caused by vehicle horns or horns at peak hours and during traffic jams is deafening. Also in industrial areas close to urbanizations.

No less polluting are the sound systems with loud music in discos located in residential areas, in private homes or in vehicles at night and during the day.

9- Trafficking in wild species

Species trafficking has become a serious threat to the environment due to the impact it has on wild ecosystems.

Entire populations of exotic birds and mammals from forests and jungles are being hunted and taken from their habitat for commercial reasons.

As a consequence, many of these species cannot reproduce again and die in captivity. Add to that deforestation and water and air pollution, the outlook for these species is bleak.

10- Forest fires

In the summer months, forest fires proliferate in the country, destroying thousands of hectares of natural forest and polluting the air. These incidents alter the environment and destroy ecosystems.

Some of these fires are caused, others are produced by high temperatures, dry foliage and garbage that is left in the forests and mountains. Therefore, it is recommended not to throw lit cigarette butts or leave badly extinguished fires.

References

1. Environmental problems in Venezuela (PDF). Retrieved on February 1, 2018 from ciens.ula.ve
2. Environmental problems in Venezuela. Consulted of monografias.comç
3. Mata, Miguel; Tur, Flor Isabel y Guerra, Milagros: Venezuela. Environmental education in primary education (PDF). Recovered from educoas.org
4. Before the elimination of the Ministry of the Environment. Consulted of unimet.edu.ve
5. Illegal mining in Venezuela, an underworld of chaos and violence. Consulted of clarin.com
6. Parks of Venezuela - National Parks. Consulted of parquenacionales.com.ve