Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Channeling a Rain-Filled River

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

CARACAS, Nov 1 2004 (IPS) - Under downpours during a rainy season that extended beyond the usual dates, dozens of workers are building a 150-meter slope to channel the Guaire River, which crosses through the Venezuelan capital. The high waters of the Guaire are overflowing the canal that normally contains it, and threaten the stability of the Francisco Fajarlo highway, the main thoroughfare in Caracas.

''The lives of thousands of people could be in danger,'' Andrés Parucho, with the Environment Ministry's infrastructure unit, told Tierramérica.

Earlier this year, the wall of section of the canal gave way, and a 20-meter crack caused concern that a section of the highway could eventually collapse.

The repairs will cost 416,000 dollars and are expected to be complete by the end of the year. ''Usually such work is done during the dry season, but we have to prevent the worst from happening now,'' Parucho said.