One environmental tragedy in north-central Venezuela: Henri Pittier Park, Lake Valencia,the potability of the water

If you have a glass of water that is half full and then little by little pour in sand, it will by basic gravity settle to the bottom and the water will slowly surpass the bottom of the container and flood out. That is what happens today in Lake Valencia. Not only sand but mud and rocks are carried in floods as a result of rainfall in Park Henri Pittier and then are deposited on the bottom of the lake. But what is the cause of this unfortunate phenomenon?

This national park was officially established during the administration of JV Gomez, under the emphatic recommendations of botanist Henri Pittier, encompassing an area of ​​more than 80,000 hectares of giant forests, with vegetation of the highest quality. Following the downfall of the Marcos Perez Jimenez government, the environmental monitoring was relaxed and this led to encroachments into the park to steal wood, to hunt not for food but for pleasure, underground squatter communities arose that were later converted by political complacency to illegal settlements inside the park.

This was an undectable deforestation since it wasn’t occuring on the outside, it didn’t start on the periphery (because of the obvious visibility) but because of an interior deterioration. Today we can say, Henri Pittier Park is mortally wounded, that cancer consists of the irresponsible settlements and the relevant authorities turning a blind eye, it moves from the inside out ... and, in the words of the Argentine writer Eduardo Mallea, "all green perishes” although the phrase is taken from the Bible.

Now with the soft earth of the forest bare, exposed due to the logging, when the rainfall is hard the water drags it into the natural geographic container,Lake Valencia. The housing developments established on the shores of this once-beautiful lake, have started to undergo drastic flood disasters with dramatic social consequences. But that's not all. The cities of Maracay, Valencia, established towns around Park Henri Pittier, and Chorley, Chuao, Ocumare Coast, Cata and others, show the loss of domestic water quality, suffice it to say more precisely: the drinking water is no longer reliable.

During the government of General Isaias Medina Angarita, this vast area of vegetation was converted into a park and given the name of its proponant and founder Dr. Henri Pittier, the tireless botanist a naturalized Venezuelan born in Bex (Switzerland. 1859). He performed countless investigations on the flora of Venezuela, the fruit of these studies is reflected in the abundant scientific literature. His seminal book is entitled Handbook of Plants Common to Venezuela first published in 1926 (Caracas. Lit. del Comercio.), then in 1970 with the addition of a supplement (Caracas, Fundación Eugenio Mendoza).

He wrote these final words about our forests, "Volumes would be required for a full description of the beauties and singularities of the wonderful natural vegetation of this country." (P.511). This distinguished scientist died in Caracas in 1950.

By Lenin Cardozo / Edith Regier