The inhabitants of the rural area of the Simón Bolívar Municipality of Anzoátegui State find themselves very worried, after a new oil spill was recorded the afternoon of last Monday, January 29th.
By Javier A. Guaipo/ Correspondent lapatilla.com
Alejandra Gómez, Deputy of the Legislative Council of the Anzoátegui state (Cleanz) and resident of the Picas del Neverí sector, assured that the residents of this and other communities are very alarmed, mainly because there is no official information about this episode.
“We took a tour and observed an oil spill at three points on the pipeline that crosses the Naricual parish. This caused the spilled petroleum to reach almost the road, and today Tuesday (January 30th), the Naricual River began to show traces and slicks of this substance,” Gómez stated.
The legislator stated that since Monday, commissions from Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) have been seen working and also state firefighters, although by Tuesday night the problem still persisted.
She added that she observed firefighting personnel making maneuvers to prevent the hydrocarbon from spreading through the Naricual River, one of the main sources of raw water for the José Antonio Anzoátegui Water Treatment Plant.
“Our concern and alarm is that we do not have information from the relevant state agencies regarding security measures in the face of this emergency. I was standing near one of the leaks and the smell is very strong, it causes a slight itch in the eyes after a few minutes, and in nearby areas there are schools whose directors also expressed their concern,” she said.
The deputy added that there are also many houses neighboring the sections where there are leaks and these can compromise the daily activities of the population.
Off the record
Unofficially, it was known that the spill is of Merey type crude oil being pumped through a 30-inch pipeline that goes from the San Tomé Office Tank Yard, Freites Municipality, to the Puerto La Cruz Refinery in the northern coast of this state.