Starting next Thursday, May 21, the government of Veracruz will begin distributing a 4,000-peso aid payment to fishermen in the state who were affected by the hydrocarbon spill that occurred in early March, Governor Rocío Nahle García announced.
In an interview this Monday from the port of Veracruz, she revealed that direct distribution will commence simultaneously across the northern, central, and southern coastal zones of the territory. The distribution process, she noted, could span the remainder of May and part of June.
“I believe I will start on Thursday—I’ll be there, though I’m not sure if it will be in Alvarado or right here—to make the delivery. However, I also requested that separate delegations be present simultaneously in Pajapan and Tamiahua. We will be distributing the funds throughout May and June, just as agreed; it amounts to 4,000 pesos per fisherman in aid,” the Governor confirmed.
How many fishermen will receive the aid?
The Governor explained that, in order to provide assistance to the affected fishermen and fisherwomen of Veracruz, data was cross-referenced against registries from the Secretariat of Welfare, various fishing cooperatives, the Secretariat of Agriculture, and Sedesol to determine the final total.
She stated that, following this review and cross-referencing of information, a total of more than 20,000 fishermen were identified as having been affected. These individuals will benefit from this 4,000-peso aid package, distributed as a one-time payment, which comes in addition to assistance previously provided by the federal government during the contingency period following the spill.
“The federal government has already provided its assistance; they first issued aid payments in March—amounting to 8,000 pesos each—to 25,000 fishermen. Subsequently, in response to the spill itself, they provided aid specifically to those directly affected—I believe there were over 800 individuals—granting them 15,000 pesos each. Now, the aid from the state government is being rolled out: payments will be made in May, and any remaining recipients we are unable to reach this month will receive their funds in June,” the Governor said. The hydrocarbon spill detected in early March off the coast of southern Veracruz—which subsequently spread northward—began that very month; federal authorities reported this on April 17.
According to official information, the leak originated in an oil pipeline located in the Abkatún-Cantarell zone and dispersed northward along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Source: lasillarota
