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The Venezuelan town of Potosi has made a haunting reappearance, thanks to an historic drought brought on by the El Nino weather pattern. The former town was deliberately flooded in 1985, in order to make way for a reservoir.
Reuters reported, that two and a half decades ago, the Andean town was home to around 1,200 residents. Then Venezuela's president, Carlos Andres Perez, dropped into the village in a helicopter to tell everyone that Potosi was to be evacuated and flooded, its colonial church and homes abandoned, the residents relocated.
In its place a hydroelectric dam was built and the Uribante Reservoir rose until only the steeple to Potosi's cathedral could still be seen.
Following a devastating drought, which has gripped Venezuela, the 25 meter-tall church and the ruins of Potosi have now emerged once again. The water levels at Uribante Reservoir have dropped by nearly 90 feet. The church, grave markers, ruins of demolished houses and footprint of the old town square have all reappeared.
Residents of the town are once more able to walk on the area that used to be their home. Green grass is once again flourishing in the area, as the lake waters continue to recede.
Scientists say El Nino weather pattern, which has caused devastating snowfalls and rain across the United States and Europe this winter, is responsible for Venezuela's worst drought in decades.
Because of the extended drought reservoirs, like the one that had swallowed up Potosi, have been running close to dry. The 28 million residents of Venezuela rely heavily on hydroelectric power for its electricity requirements and are now facing nationwide energy rationing.
The President has imposed penalty fees for energy overuse, shorter workdays for the many public employees and reduced hours for shopping malls, when cloud seeding failed to produce the desperately needed rain. Venezuela is on the brink of a devastating power crisis, which is posing a serious political threat to President Hugo Chavez. Chavez affirms the rationing plan will hopefully assist the country to reach the month of May, when seasonal rains are predicted to return.
If the water levels of the dam continue to fall, “We’d be in a situation where we’d have to halt the country, the entire economy,” revealed Vicot Poleo, an oil economic professor at Venezuela’s Central University and former official in Chevez’s Energy Ministry. Venezuela’s Guri Dam is the third largest producer of electricity in the world. The existing gas and oil-fired power plants would be able to cover only around 20% of the nation’s needs. Widespread and sustained outages would be in force.
About Haunting Reappearance of Town Church
Venezuela church simply refuses to lie down and die, as once more it dominates the local landscape. For more information:
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