Getting down and dirty in the Caracas sewers with Environment Minister Yubiri Ortega de Carrizales

VHeadline Venezuela News reports: Environment Minister (MinAmb) Yubiri Ortega de Carrizalez has insisted that all of Caracas' drainage ditches, gullies and sewers will be cleaned up in a 'Caracas Beautification' campaign to be completed before the end of July. The plan is to recover the main waterways in the capital and surrounding areas including dredging of the Rio Guaire which runs through the city to the east.

Work has already been completed at the La Gaviota junctions of the April 13, Spider, Paratebueno, Los Leones, Caricuao, La Bandera, El Paraiso, La Rinconada and other tributories, recovering ten main flushways throught he city. Work has already begun on strengthening the flood walls along the Guaire with two hundred reservists added to the workk crew to continus a maintenance program at a cost of some Bs.F 60 million (US$27.95 million) so far.

The 'Caracas Beautification' campaign includes the installation of lighting and sureveillance along the highways in parallel with the waterways and piuped music to pacify motorists caught in the inevitable traffic jams. The National Transit Institute and the Reserve will be especially vigilant throughout the night hours as dregding work continues 24/7 with an estimated 22 percent of the project already completed.

Urban graffiti is planned to decorate the floodway walls with artists from the Armando Reveron school invited to adorn ceramic murals.

Ortega de Carrizalez promises that after November 23 local and regional elections further work will be done on a wider metropolitan recovery plan since "there will be walls used by the political parties which will be painted over when the elections are won." She also says that school gardening programs are being introduced to engance the riverbanks. "It is the brainchild of our President to create school gardens in big cities where the schools take responsibility for maintenance and control of plant protection schemes! The idea is to involve the people in the maintenance of these areas and to show people that Caracas is the beautiful city we all deserve."