Venezuela's National assembly investigates mysterious oil spill, demands information

Venezuela’s National Assembly has recently demanded information about an oil spill that has caused oil to wash up on the shores of the Falcón state. According to reports, Venezuela’s national assembly is the only institution in the country that is not controlled by the government and thus is the only institution that can hold it accountable. Environmentalists have warned that if the spill gets worse and nothing is done then Falcón wetlands may be damaged.

Source of oil spill remains unknown

According to reports, several beaches in Morrocoy National Park have already been severely affected by the oil spill but still, no official information has been provided by President Nicolás Maduro’s government on the origin of the spill or on how big the spill is. Environmentalists have claimed that the oil washing up onshore is covering the beach and the rocks in an oily sheen.

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As per reports, Opposition lawmaker María Gabriela Hernández who heads the National Assembly's environment commission has stated that she suspects the oil came from the El Palito refinery. Hernández has demanded that the state oil company PDVSA give members of the national assembly access to its records regarding the maintenance of El Palito refinery.

The exact date that the oil spill occurred is still not certain since no information has been released by the government but oil was first discovered near the shore and on the beaches on August 2. Josué Lorca, who is Venezuela's minister for eco-socialism has stated that with the help of 1,200 volunteers almost 90 per cent of the oil has already been cleared from the beaches.

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Oil spill in Mauritius

On July 25, a large Japanese-owned ship called the MV Wakashio ran aground while carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil. Due to the resulting oil leak, the Mauritius PM had declared a state of emergency on August 7 and has even called for international assistance.