Potosi, Venezuela
Encyclopedia
Potosí was a Venezuela
n town in the western state of Táchira
. The town was deliberately flooded by the Venezuelan government in 1985 to build a hydroelectric
dam. The town was uncovered for the first time since its flooding in 2010 due to a drought caused by the weather phenomenon El Niño
.
, flew in by helicopter and announced that the town was to be evacuated and then flooded to build a hydroelectric dam. Josefa Garcia, a former resident, visited the town's square for the first time and remembered that day saying, "He said we'd all be expropriated and we had to leave. It took our hope away." Garcia relocated to a region not far from her former home and other former residents moved throughout Venezuela. The houses and the colonial church were abandoned and the waters of the Uribante Reservoir, once covering 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi), submerged the town with the exception of the steeple of its church. The steeple is 85 feet (25.9 m) feet tall and was once used as the high-water mark for the reservoir.
is believed to be responsible for the severe drought afflicting the region.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n town in the western state of Táchira
Táchira (state)
Táchira State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.Táchira State covers a total surface area of 11,100 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,177,300....
. The town was deliberately flooded by the Venezuelan government in 1985 to build a hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
dam. The town was uncovered for the first time since its flooding in 2010 due to a drought caused by the weather phenomenon El Niño
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
El Niño/La Niña-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is a quasiperiodic climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean roughly every five years...
.
History
Prior to 1985, Potosí was a town of approximately 1,200 inhabitants. The then-president of Venezuela, Carlos Andres PerezCarlos Andrés Pérez
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez , also known as CAP and often referred to as El Gocho , was a Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993. His first presidency was known as the Saudi Venezuela due to its economic and social prosperity thanks to...
, flew in by helicopter and announced that the town was to be evacuated and then flooded to build a hydroelectric dam. Josefa Garcia, a former resident, visited the town's square for the first time and remembered that day saying, "He said we'd all be expropriated and we had to leave. It took our hope away." Garcia relocated to a region not far from her former home and other former residents moved throughout Venezuela. The houses and the colonial church were abandoned and the waters of the Uribante Reservoir, once covering 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi), submerged the town with the exception of the steeple of its church. The steeple is 85 feet (25.9 m) feet tall and was once used as the high-water mark for the reservoir.
Reemergence
After 26 years under water, there was a 98 feet (29.9 m) drop in the water level of the reservoir due to a drought. The church, grave markers, the ruins of houses and the outline of the former town square have reemerged with the church entirely exposed, although only its facade remains. Some visitors have appeared as well, including Garcia who once worked at the church there who commented, "It brings me joy, but it also makes me sad to see the situation that we're in." The weather pattern El NiñoEl Niño-Southern Oscillation
El Niño/La Niña-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is a quasiperiodic climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean roughly every five years...
is believed to be responsible for the severe drought afflicting the region.
See also
- St. Thomas, NevadaSt. Thomas, NevadaSt. Thomas, Nevada, is a ghost town in Clark County, Nevada, near where the Muddy River flows into the Colorado River. St. Thomas was purchased by the US Federal Government and abandoned as the waters of Lake Mead submerged the town. It is now located within the Lake Mead National Recreation...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: In 1938, St. Thomas, NevadaSt. Thomas, NevadaSt. Thomas, Nevada, is a ghost town in Clark County, Nevada, near where the Muddy River flows into the Colorado River. St. Thomas was purchased by the US Federal Government and abandoned as the waters of Lake Mead submerged the town. It is now located within the Lake Mead National Recreation...
, was flooded following the construction of the Hoover DamHoover DamHoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
and has emerged from the waters of Lake MeadLake MeadLake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends behind the dam, holding approximately of water.-History:The lake was...
due to local droughts. - The EderseeEderseeThe Edersee Dam is a hydroelectric dam constructed between 1908 to 1914 across the Eder river, near the small town of Waldeck in northern Hesse, Germany, it lies at the northern edge of the Kellerwald...
Reservoir in HesseHesseHesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, which flooded three villages during its creation which can still seen when the water level is low.