Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo Is Getting More Polluted
2023-08-21
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1Fishermen who work on Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo say fish stocks are decreasing as pollution grows worse.
2Lake Maracaibo is 600 kilometers west of Venezuela's capital Caracas.
3It is a center of Venezuela's oil production.
4But environmentalists say it is becoming a polluted wasteland.
5They blame too much oil exploration, poor maintenance, outdated infrastructure and a lack of waste treatment systems.
6There are thousands of kilometers of pipelines under the lake and oil leaks take place often.
7The lake is fed by many rivers and streams.
8But it also receives wastewater from Zulia, Mérida and Trujillo states, where 5.3 million people live.
9Waste from the most distant state of Norte de Santander also drains into the lake.
10Beltrán Briceño teaches at the University of Zulia and is head of the research laboratory in the town of Maracaibo.
11He said fertilizers, human waste and other chemicals flow into Lake Maracaibo.
12This leads to high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.
13These substances support the growth of cyanobacteria, which can have poisonous effects on water animals and humans.
14Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are linked with mass fish deaths.
15Jose Aular is a 61-year-old fisherman.
16He said fish do not come near the shore because of the algae.
17He also said the water has caused his skin to become unhealthy with a rash.
18In the early 1900s, Lake Maracaibo was the heart of Venezuela's oil industry.
19Environmentalists say the pollution worsened in the early 1930s, when a canal was dug and connected the lake with the Caribbean Sea.
20The project permitted large oil tankers to navigate the lake but also let seawater into the lake.
21This killed some freshwater life.
22Yordi Vicuña is a 33-year-old fisherman.
23He said that in the past, "you could go out fishing and catch 700 (kilograms) of shrimp."
24But now, he said, it takes fishermen several days to catch only eight kilograms of shrimp.
25Fishermen avoid using their nets because they fear they will be damaged.
26Crude oil covers boats and damages fishing nets and boat motors, Vicuña said.
27Briceño said many years of worsening pollution are being felt near the lakeshore with bad smells, oil slicks and poisonous algae.
28Briceño warned, "There is no magic formula" to rescue the lake if people continue to pollute it.
29I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Fishermen who work on Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo say fish stocks are decreasing as pollution grows worse. 2Lake Maracaibo is 600 kilometers west of Venezuela's capital Caracas. It is a center of Venezuela's oil production. 3But environmentalists say it is becoming a polluted wasteland. They blame too much oil exploration, poor maintenance, outdated infrastructure and a lack of waste treatment systems. 4There are thousands of kilometers of pipelines under the lake and oil leaks take place often. 5The lake is fed by many rivers and streams. But it also receives wastewater from Zulia, Mérida and Trujillo states, where 5.3 million people live. Waste from the most distant state of Norte de Santander also drains into the lake. 6Beltrán Briceño teaches at the University of Zulia and is head of the research laboratory in the town of Maracaibo. He said fertilizers, human waste and other chemicals flow into Lake Maracaibo. This leads to high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. These substances support the growth of cyanobacteria, which can have poisonous effects on water animals and humans. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are linked with mass fish deaths. 7Jose Aular is a 61-year-old fisherman. He said fish do not come near the shore because of the algae. He also said the water has caused his skin to become unhealthy with a rash. 8In the early 1900s, Lake Maracaibo was the heart of Venezuela's oil industry. Environmentalists say the pollution worsened in the early 1930s, when a canal was dug and connected the lake with the Caribbean Sea. The project permitted large oil tankers to navigate the lake but also let seawater into the lake. This killed some freshwater life. 9Yordi Vicuña is a 33-year-old fisherman. He said that in the past, "you could go out fishing and catch 700 (kilograms) of shrimp." But now, he said, it takes fishermen several days to catch only eight kilograms of shrimp. 10Fishermen avoid using their nets because they fear they will be damaged. Crude oil covers boats and damages fishing nets and boat motors, Vicuña said. 11Briceño said many years of worsening pollution are being felt near the lakeshore with bad smells, oil slicks and poisonous algae. 12Briceño warned, "There is no magic formula" to rescue the lake if people continue to pollute it. 13I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 14Ariana Cubillos and Juan Pablo Arreaz reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 15_________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17maintenance -n. the act of keeping property and equipment in good condition 18infrastructure -v. structures and systems necessary for modern life like roads, bridges, power stations and other things 19drain -v. the action of liquid flowing to a lower place 20shore -n. the land next to a body of water 21rash -n. a skin condition caused by disease or health problem 22magic formula -expression something that solves a big problem but that is probably not real 23_________________________________________________ 24We want to hear from you. 25Here is how our comment system works: 26Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.