Venezuela's Largest Lake

Personal memory by Viviana Bernasconi

2017Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela

When I was a kid, I liked to visit Maracaibo in Venezuela. I liked visiting the lake with my family and crossing the bridge together. The lake that I'm talking about is the Veneuzela's largest lake which is called lake Maracaibo. It is suffering from increased pollution due to oil development and economic activities which have caused the damage of beaches, fish and bird mortality, and the destruction of the flora. Nowadays, Lake Maracaibo has been affected by an aquatic plant (Lemna) also named Mancha Verde that has covered a high percentage of the lake's coasts, attempting against the marine life that lives there and against the welfare of all citizens. The Maracaibo Lake will become a swamp if drastic and rapid measures are not taken to eradicate the invasion of the green lentil on the surface.