In the opinion of the Director of NGO Azul Ambientalista, Johan Flores, the Commission for the Rescue and Conservation of Lake Maracaibo is inoperative. And the proof is the accumulation of solid waste on the shores of the lake.
Lexzys Lugo / Correspondent lapatilla.com
Flores said that another promise of this commission, created in 2023, was to rescue and restart the eight wastewater treatment plants in the Zulia region that have been paralyzed for more than five years and more in some cases, and to date none have been activated.
The environmentalist recalled that between the months of June and July, cyanobacteria, known as ‘verdín’ or lemna (a free-floating aquatic plant), bloom throughout the Zulia estuarine lake. The unfolding and spread of this phenomenon would once again affect fishing, tourism and all economic activity in the area.
Flores emphasized that it is necessary for the commission created to rescue the lake to be activated to try to stop the appearance of bloom this year. He believes that it is difficult to achieve this due to the proximity of the rainy season in which verdigris appears, favored by runoff caused by torrential rains. The other negative factor is that none of the treatment plants was not activated and the wastewater is reaching the lake directly and without any type of treatment.
“The commission stayed in just words and there were no actions. In a few days it is very likely that the ‘verdigris’ will spread and citizens will continue to pay the consequences of deficient State policies,” he said.