People and rescuers search for victims amid debris of a demolished building on June 27 in La Guaira, Venezuela, after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the region. Photo: Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—On Monday, the Venezuelan Ministry for Ecosocialism (Minec) issued a strict warning reaffirming the state’s unwavering commitment to protecting the nation’s marine and coastal ecosystems. In an official communique, the ministry declared a policy of zero tolerance toward the unauthorized dumping of solid waste, rubber, and debris into the sea.
“Our coasts and bodies of water are not waste deposits,” the state environmental institution asserted, calling on organized communities and local businesses to maintain absolute vigilance over local ecological integrity.
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The warning comes as Venezuela continues its comprehensive recovery and clean-up operations following the devastating double earthquake of June 24. While state-led recovery brigades have strictly adhered to sovereign environmental protocols—transporting structural rubble to designated inland processing zones to safeguard the delicate coastline—authorities have identified illicit dumping risks associated with unregulated private debris-removal initiatives.
Severe penalties for ecological crimes
Through the statement published on social media, the ministry reminded the public and private sectors that dumping solid, liquid, or any other polluting substance into natural spaces or marine territories constitutes a serious environmental crime under Venezuelan law.
The ministry warned that individuals or private entities caught committing these infractions will face severe legal consequences. These sanctions include:
• Heavy economic fines tailored to the scale of the damage.
• Direct criminal proceedings under the Environmental Penal Law.
• The mandatory legal obligation to fund and execute the total ecological restoration of the affected habitats.
Minec emphasized that environmental protection is a shared, collective responsibility. The ministry reminded commercial establishments and private salvage operators that they are legally obligated to utilize only state-authorized collection centers and controlled landfills for the final disposal of rubble and heavy waste.
Confronting media disinformation and private sector opportunism
In recent days, right-wing media outlets and digital disinformation platforms have circulated claims alleging that state authorities were dumping debris directly into the Caribbean Sea. The Venezuelan government has categorically denied these rumors, exposing them as another attempt by media laboratories to discredit the state’s highly coordinated, ecologically conscious disaster response.
Local environmental analysts point out that while the state is transporting all public debris far inland, certain private real estate and commercial operators have attempted to cut costs by illegally dumping structural waste and rubber into coastal waters. Minec’s high-profile alert is directly aimed at stopping these private-sector infractions while empowering local communities to protect their waters, according to local analysts.
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Citizen vigilance: How to report environmental sabotage
To combat these attacks against the national territory, the Venezuelan government has urged the public to immediately report any unauthorized waste dumping or suspicious maritime activities. The following official, direct-attention channels have been established for citizen reports:
• Hotline: (+58) 0212-408-1111
• Toll-Free Line (0800-AMBIENT): 0800-262-4368
• Official Portals: www.0800ambiente.com and www.minec.gob.ve
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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