Health care workers express concern about the potential spread of diseases like cholera in places where clean water was scarce even before the disaster. Earthquakes last week compounded the issue by destroying water systems.
Recent earthquakes in Venezuela have resulted in over 1,900 deaths, with efforts now shifting to addressing long-term impacts. One major concern is the significant damage to existing clean water infrastructure in affected areas, which increases the risk of water contamination and diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever.
Susana Arroyo, spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Caracas, highlighted the situation. “The water distribution system collapsed as a result of the earthquake,” she stated. In regions like La Guaira, one of the most severely impacted areas, bottled water is now essential for daily activities like bathing, brushing teeth, and washing hands.
Arroyo also mentioned that sanitation systems were also destroyed, severely limiting or even eliminating access to toilets in several areas. The possibility of increased cholera and typhoid fever due to unsafe water and sanitation adds to the ongoing hardships of the residents of La Guaira.
Many people in La Guaira state were already dependent on mobile water tankers for their water supply before the earthquakes, according to Arroyo.