Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12
WORLD NEWSTuesday 9 January 2018
Venezuelans scour polluted river for lost treasure, survival
By SCOTT SMITH
Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)
— Angel Villanueva waded
into the dirty brown water of
the Guaire River, the putrid
channel snaking through
Venezuela’s capital, where
he hoped to scavenge for
a bit of treasure.
He raked his hands across
the bottom of the shal-
low waterway, turning his
face away from the foul
smell. Then he stood up,
letting gravel and rocks fall
through his fingers, scan-
ning for an earring back-
ing, lost rings or any other
bits of precious metal to
cash in for food.
Scavenging alongside two
others, Villanueva, 26, kept
an eye on the dark clouds
buffeting the mountains
that surround Caracas.
They could burst at any
time, leaving him minutes
to get out — or be washed
away to his death.
“Working in the Guaire isn’t
easy,” he said, talking over
the roar of traffic on a near- filthy — a drain for rainwa- and oil production have spent have had no result.
by highway. “When it pro-
vides, it provides. When it
takes, it takes your life.”
Images of poor Venezu-
elans eating from garbage
piles in Caracas have
come to symbolize the
deepening economic crisis
in what was once one of
Latin America’s wealthiest
countries. Less visible are
the young men and boys
who comb the Guaire’s
Armed clashes kill 11 in Mexico’s troubled Guerrero state
By JOSE RIVERA
Associated Press
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP)
— Violent clashes involv-
ing gunmen, a community
police force and state po-
lice killed 11 people in the
troubled southern state of
Guerrero on Sunday, while
a separate series of shoot-
outs the previous night left
seven dead in the northern
Mexico beach resort of San
Jose del Cabo.
Guerrero state security
spokesman Roberto Alva-
rez said eight people were
initially killed when gunmen
ambushed community po-
lice before dawn in the
town of La Concepcion,
near the resort city of Aca-
pulco. Two of the dead
Douglas, center, holds a sack in the polluted Guaire River as he and others pull mud up from the soon,” he vowed on televi-
sion.
bed of the river in search of gold and other valuables to sell, in Caracas, Venezuela. The river The Inter-American De-
velopment Bank in 2012
and the scavengers in it go largely unseen by Caracas residents speeding overhead on the city’s stepped up with a $300
million loan, launching an
main highway, blocked from view by concrete barriers. ambitious project to build
wastewater plants and
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) treat sewage that goes
into the river.
dirty waters for any sliver of open sewage,” said Ale- Each morning, scavengers Nearly six years later, the
water remains filthy, the
metal that might help feed jandro Velasco, a native stream down to the Guaire cleanup project achieving
a fraction of its goal. Bank
their families. of Caracas and professor from hillside barrios. Some officials declined to com-
ment on the project and
They appear at times to of Latin American history at wrap their fingertips in tape Venezuelan government
leaders have also been
be playing, shirtless and New York University. “It cer- to protect from cuts and silent on when it might be
cleaned.
laughing in groups. The sun tainly seems to reflect the infections, ignoring any po- Some stretches of the river
smell of sewage while oth-
reflects off their rounded depth and extent of the tential long-term health ef- ers emit a toxic odor remi-
niscent of fuel, a stench
backs as they bend, scoop desperation that this par- fects from standing in foul that stays in your nose
for hours after leaving its
up rocks and toss them ticular crisis has spawned.” water for hours each day. banks. The Guaire again
drew attention in mid-2017
aside with a splash. Nearly two decades of so- Calls to clean up the river when residents protesting
President Nicolas Maduro’s
The water is notoriously cialist rule in which food and the millions already rule waded across the river
to escape choking tear
gas fired by riot officers.
Most days, the river scav-
ter from the streets and plummeted amid poor The late President Hugo engers go unnoticed by
other Caracas residents
sewers, along with industrial management of state Chavez acknowledged as they speed overhead
on an elevated highway,
waste and an occasional resources and a drop in the river’s filthy state in 2005 blocked from view by con-
crete barriers.
treasure. world crude prices have and pledged a full clean- A woman pushing a baby
stroller across an overpass
“As long as I can remem- driven many Venezuelans up. “I will invite you all to go on a rare vantage point
looked down at dozens in
ber, the Guaire was this into desperation. for a swim in the Guaire — the water.
“What a shame for our
country,” she said.
Villanueva lives with his fa-
ther, a retired military man,
were from the community a social movement that for tributor of photographs to in one of the poorest and
force. over a decade has fought The Associated Press but most dangerous barrios in
Later in the morning, state against a hydroelectric was not on assignment for Caracas. He still struggles
police arrived to disarm the project in the region. AP at the time. with his mother’s death
local agents, and another Photojournalist Bernandino It’s also where 43 teach- from a stroke. She had
shootout erupted in which Hernandez said that while ers college students disap- urged him to go to college.
three people were killed. covering the violence he peared in 2014 after being Villanueva wanted to
Alvarez said he did not was beaten, kicked and taken by police from the earn money, but he could
know how they died, but dragged by state police city of Iguala who alleg- only land a series of low-
local media said they were and forcibly relieved of his edly handed them over to paying state jobs, such as
community police. camera’s memory cards. a drug cartel. They remain sweeping the streets. The
State Attorney General He also witnessed sever- missing. minimum wage for public
Xavier Olea Pelaez said 30 al other journalists being In the northern state of Baja employees in Venezuela is
members of the communi- treated roughly. California Sur, prosecutors less than $7 a month at the
ty police were detained on Hernandez said he had said in a statement that black market exchange
suspicion of crimes includ- photographed police us- marines responding Satur- rate.
ing homicide and illegal ing force against locals day night to reports of gun- Food has become increas-
weapons and drug posses- who tried to prevent the fire in San Jose del Cabo ingly hard to find or afford.
sion. arrest of the community came upon heavily armed An estimated 75 percent
Among those arrested was agents: “Some people men wearing tactical vests of Venezuelans lost an av-
Marco Antonio Suastegui, were dragged by the hair and riding in two vehicles erage of 19 pounds (8.7 ki-
the founder of the commu- to take them away.” with license plates from the lograms) last year, accord-
nity force and the leader of Hernandez is a regular con- U.S. state of California.q ing to one recent survey.q