The inhabitants of the Kariña ethnic group, described as an ecocide the oil spill that affects crops and pollutes the Guanipa and Kashama rivers, located in the south of Anzoátegui State,
Correspondent lapatilla.com
The crude oil overflowed from a well that is located approximately 200 meters from the Kashama river in “Pedro María Freites” Municipality.
The governor of this indigenous community, Rafael Maita, denounced this as an “ecocide”, assuring that the hydrocarbon reached all the water ways and streams in the are used to irrigate crops and the drinking water for the cattle of small producers.
“That (oil) well had been inactive for a long time, as well as many in the Kashama and Tascabaña areas, and so, when the rains came, it dragged all the oil that was stored there and that made it reach the rivers,” explained Maita.
Maita called on the national prosecutor for indigenous matters in Anzoátegui, Maribel Caguana, and the National Prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, to intervene so that the necessary corrective measures are taken.
He highlighted that in addition to this situation, 843 Kashamera families suffer from a lack of clean water service, after a 20 HP pump was damaged.
The source assured that they have requested help from PDVSA, as well as from the mayor’s office of the Pedro María Freites Municipality, without receiving any solutions so far.