Oil Field Impacts on Venezuela’s Rivers and Water Stress with Environmental Challenges
Publisher: Journal of South American Earth Sciences
Author(s): Aleksandar Valjarević
Date: 2026
Topics: Assessment, Extractive Resources, Renewable Resources, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Venezuela
This study examines the ecological impact of oil extraction on Venezuela's river systems, focusing on pollution, hydrological changes, and water resource stress. A spatial and quantitative assessment was conducted using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), the Ecological Equilibrium Equation (EE), and the Ecological Equilibrium Index (EE index). Analyses were performed in QGIS and SAGA GIS environments, integrating satellite data and field-verified hydrological datasets to evaluate major river basins, particularly the Orinoco River Basin and Lake Maracaibo. Buffer analyses (10 km, 50 km, and 100 km) identified the Orinoco, Guárico, and Cuyuní rivers as most affected within the 10 km zone, where contamination risk from oil spills and industrial runoff is highest. The 50 km buffer revealed expanded impacts on rivers such as Apure, Cojedes, and Ventuari, while the 100 km zone indicated that nearly all major Venezuelan river systems are exposed to potential contamination, increasing the risk of water pollution, biodiversity loss, and hydrological disruption. The EE index showed a deviation of −0.3, reflecting widespread ecological imbalance. The study recommends adopting advanced wastewater treatment technologies, enforcing stricter environmental regulations, expanding hydrological monitoring networks, and engaging local communities and indigenous groups in sustainable watershed management. Safeguarding Venezuela's freshwater resources demands urgent, integrated policy interventions to balance economic development with environmental preservation.