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November 27, 2018 2:15
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Updated November 27, 2018 06:19
Petróleos de Venezuela lost international recognition in the control and management of oil spills for 20 years. Today, the number of accidents is three times higher, rising from one month in 2017 to three this year, according to industry sources.
"The problem of oil spills in PDVSA was evident since February 2012 with the accident that occurred in the Guarapiche River (Monagas State), which still shows the strong consequence of damage to the ecosystem," said the biologist Alejandro Álvarez, coordinator of the project. Climate Coalition 21.
The silence and lack of transparency of the company's information prevents environmental experts from knowing the magnitude of the events "which, most of the time, transcend the public because it is impossible to hide a spill in a river, water is spreading, "he said.
"This weekend has been reported on social networks the occurrence of a spill on the Morichal River (Monagas) .However, until now, PDVSA has not made any statement", has said the biologist.
José Bodas, director of the Single Federation of Petroleum Workers of Venezuela, said that for seven years the oil company did not maintain oil pipelines or preventative maintenance, such as the protection of oil companies. by cathode rays, to prevent corrosion. The unionist lamented the official silence on Morichal.
X-ray lines are also not examined for cracks or their possibilities, which means that 90% of the oil industry's pipelines are prone to leaks and leaks that PDVSA only performs corrective maintenance as when it is obvious.
"All this explains the increase in spills." Last year, a monthly report was published, and so far this year, there are three, "said Futpv leader. He said that the presence of oil slicks in the ground due to corrosion of the pipe or wear of the valves and valves is the constant in the industry.
Another situation, he added, that affects the speed of response to accidents is the lack of specialized personnel, such as members of the spill control teams, due to the exodus of workers leaving because of low wages and bad conditions. job
Sanitation companies are reluctant to lease the equipment to the oil company to handle spills – dump trucks, excavators or bacon to suck up crude oil – because it does not pay for them.
Álvarez pointed out that because of the lack of maintenance, Pdvsa presents a high accident rate compared to 20 years ago, when it strictly complied with the plans control and contingency against spills occurring inside and outside Venezuela.
The environmentalist pointed out that the rapid extraction of oil spilled into rivers, such as Catatumbo's product (Zulia) from oil blasting by guerrillas in Colombia, was an example of an adequate response.
The most shocking spill of 2018 occurred on July 7 in the operational complex of Jusepín, also in Monagas, and whose late intervention by the authorities resulted in the fall of crude oil on the Guarapiche River, which which forced the suspension of the drinking water service in Maturín, which affected more than 400 000 neighbors.
Oil sources who then asked not to mention their names pointed out that Jusepín juice was known because the oil slick in the Guarapiche River could not be hidden. "The incident occurred on Friday at dawn, but the government informed him at night," revealed one of the sources.
Bodas said that, according to workers' information, about 2,000 barrels of crude oil have reached Guarapiche and to date, PDVSA has not submitted the final report of the accident.
"The silence and lack of transparency of PDVSA information prevents environmental experts from knowing the magnitude of the events, which most often transcend the public, because it is impossible to hide a spill in a river"
Alejandro Álvarez, Climate Coalition 21
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