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From 1986 to today: How did the black spot cause countless disasters in Caracas?
La Mancha Negra (The Black Spot) is a mysterious black substance that has been seeping along roads in Caracas, Venezuela since 1986. This phenomenon has caused numerous car accidents and claimed numerous lives since it first appeared. Despite nearly two decades of research and millions of dollars in funding, no one has been able to pinpoint the substance's true origin.
History
La Mancha Negra, a black stain about 50 meters long that first appeared in 1986, was first noticed by workers repairing 30-year-old asphalt on the highway to the airport in Caracas. Initially there was little concern about the blob, but it quickly spread over time, eventually covering nearly 13 kilometers of the highway. The material appears to shrink and expand as the weather changes, growing in hot, humid weather and shrinking in cold, dry climates. It seems to be more likely to occur on uphill sections of road outside tunnels and airports.
This chewing gum-like substance makes road surfaces extremely dangerous, causing vehicles to crash or lose control.
By 1991, a group of experts approached then-President Carlos Andres Pérez about the problem, but they still could not determine the source of the substance. According to statistics, as of 1992, 1,800 people had died due to La Mancha Negra. As the black spots spread across Caracas, the Venezuelan government said it had invested "millions of dollars" in an investigation and even consulted experts from the United States, Canada and Europe.
Analysis
Ingredients
La Mancha Negra is described as a greasy black substance about an inch thick with the texture of chewed gum. According to a study by the Venezuelan Ministry of Transport and Communications, experts believe La Mancha Negra is made from a mixture of dust, oil and various organic and synthetic materials. In the 2001 report, it was even pointed out that there was a "mixture of second-hand mobile oil and highly corrosive brake fluid", but the conclusion was still that "in 14 years of research, no one knows what this substance is, what its source is, How to get rid of it".
Cause
A variety of theories have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, but no definite answer has yet been found. Initially, some thought it was rough sewage from nearby slums that seeped through the pavement, causing a chemical reaction that damaged the road. Fernando Martínez Motera, a Venezuelan engineer and official, said in 1991 that he would not only remove La Mancha Negra, but also the residents living near the Caracas-La Guaira road because "they were part of the problem." . Another theory is that La Mancha Negra is seeping oil from substandard asphalt. Many locals believe that someone laid asphalt that leaked oil when temperatures rose. However, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said there was no link between the composition of the bitumen and the formation of the substance.
The most widely accepted theory is that La Mancha Negra is the accumulation of oil on the road from thousands of leaking old cars.
In 1996, the Wall Street Journal reported that Venezuelans drove older gas-guzzlers because of cheap gasoline in the country, which led to the road being dubbed "la mancha negra" because it was literally built for hundreds of people. The oil of a large car was gleaming. In an attempt to remove the oil, water tankers periodically flush the road surface, but these efforts often fail.
Politicization
During the 1992 administration of President Carlos Andrés Pérez, a period of political turmoil, his political opponents were accused of throwing oil on the road to tarnish his image as a leader. With Hugo Chávez's Bolivarian Revolution in 2001, Americans also used this phenomenon again as a political tool. Mayor Freddy Bernard, who is in the Chávez camp, still accuses the opposition of hiring homeless Venezuelans to sprinkle La Mancha Negra with plastic bags at night.
The existence of La Mancha Negra not only makes traffic in Caracas more dangerous, but also becomes a victim of political struggles. Will future investigations reveal the truth about this mysterious black spot?
