A 20-meter gap opened in the cement channel that guides the Guaire River through the Venezuelan capital, and its waters, polluted by the sewage from slum neighborhoods has come into contact with the wall that sustains the canal and the main highway through Caracas. Recent torrential rains triggered the damage, and big stones and cement blocks have been placed in the hole to prevent the collapse of the highway, used by tens of thousands of vehicles every day.

As part of the emergency effort, the river will be diverted 3.5 meters to a branch in southwest Caracas using pumps.

''It is a serious problem because the gap can only be repaired when dry season begins, in October. And for now the rains continue,'' an Environment Ministry spokesperson told Tierramérica.