Truck unloading earthquake debris in La Guaira state, Venezuela. Photo: Telesur.
Venezuela’s Minister of Public Works, Juan José Ramírez, alongside the governor of La Guaira, José Alejandro Terán, has led the supervision of the operation of the temporary disposal center set up at the Santa Eduvigis landfill in the east of La Guaira, in order to classify, process, and safely reduce waste from the infrastructure affected by the double seismic event of June 24.
The distribution strategy, put in place this Wednesday, July 15, is being coordinated jointly by the Ministry of Ecosocialism (MINEC), the Ministry of Public Works, and a number of international advisors. To prevent the disorderly accumulation of waste, 11 authorized collection points have been set up in La Guaira, with the aim of constructing unloading terraces that will serve as foundations for new housing in the future.
The work at this center will reduce the total volume of collected materials by 80%. The technical process consists of receiving the debris and classifying it by separating steel, concrete, and plastic.
After the iron is separated for later reuse, the elements go through crushing machines to reduce their size, and are then transferred and compacted consecutively on terraces six and seven of the Santa Eduvigis landfill, which has a reception capacity of over three million tons of waste.
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These tasks have integrated the heavy machinery that is freed up from the search and rescue areas, making it possible to continuously process between 500 and 600 cubic meters of rubble daily.
The work is being carried out with meticulous care for the coastal ecosystem through a series of operations that prevent waste from reaching the sea. Jorge Rodríguez, president of the General Staff for Temporary Camps and Housing, emphasized that under no circumstances will debris be dumped into the sea, highlighting the country’s commitment to protecting its marine life and natural environment.
Recently, authorities refuted the false information spread on social media by content creator @MariaValeComunica, who posted a video on an alleged environmental crisis due to the alleged illegal dumping of waste on the beaches of Caraballeda, in La Guaira, the state that registered the greatest damage from the seismic movements.
Although the report claimed that heavy machinery on the seashore was dumping debris, an on-site fact-check carried out by Miraflores Al Momento confirmed that the operations observed were not dumping any waste and were in fact deploying preventive infrastructure.
Those in charge of the works clarified that these are not acts of pollution, but rather cleanup efforts to clear the mouths of local rivers. The head of general services for Proyecto Settec explained that the work, which is being carried out continuously day and night, aims to reopen the waterways that were affected by both the recent earthquake and the constant weather conditions in the coastal region during its rainy season.
Oversight and inspection deployment
Also on Wednesday, the Ministry of Ecosocialism reported the activation of an oversight and inspection team on the beaches of the Caraballeda-Tanaguarena axis in La Guaira state.
Through a post on social media, the ministry informed that this inter-institutional operation aims to prevent the improper disposal of debris and protect the biodiversity of the marine-coastal strip.
The deployment will have a fleet of 20 motorized teams and multipurpose radio-patrol units, in addition to remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS drones), to conduct constant patrols in order to detect environmental crimes in critical areas.
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The initiative will involve a multidisciplinary team made up of 55 officials attached to the General Directorate of Inspection of MINEC, the Environmental Guard of the Bolivarian National Guard, the Environmental Police Service of the Bolivarian National Police Corps (CPNB), the Environmental Crimes Division of the Scientific, Criminal, and Forensic Investigations Corps (CICPC), and the Park Ranger Corps.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
