Caracas, Venezuela – The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a cut of the electricity in the entire region except Caracas due to the current electricity crisis. This measure has been heavily criticized by Venezuelans because it denotes a preferential bias for some of the people inside the country. This has provoked clashes between the population and numerous protests.
For several months, the people has experienced power shutdowns unexpectedly, in different regions of the country. According to the Venezuelan President, the phenomenon known as “El Niño” has caused a long period of drought in the country which has affected the water level of the Guri Dam. It’s worth noticing that a significant amount of the energy distributed to the country is generated from the Guri hydroelectric dam. In light of this, the Maduro has decided to impose an electricity rationing plan in order to address the critical situation Venezuelans currently live in.
How will the electricity cuts will affect the people in Venezuela?
The rationing plan imposed by the Maduro consists of 4-hour a day ration for at least 40 days in order to help stabilize the water level at hydroelectric dams until later May, when the rain season begins. But according to Venezuelan journal El Nacional, reports from Twitter indicate that the cuts began shortly after sunrise. What’s more, some areas in the country even remained up to 29 continuous hours without electricity at home.
According to the official report, the rationing plan will be applied in all entire regions except Caracas, the state of Vargas and the northeastern region of Venezuela, which includes the island of Margarita. Urban areas where hospitals, airports and security forces’ headquarters are located will have electricity all the time, President Maduro said.
“We’re performing miracles to maintain the quality of life, but I ask for miracles that you compatriots can perform at home,” Maduro said in a televised address to the country last week.
People expressed their dislike towards the current situation
As the lack of electricity affect Venezuelan day by day, people are not very happy with this situation, as noted in the following declarations:
Venezuela Rations Electricity Amid Energy Crisis, @BloombergPhotos by @MeridithKohut https://t.co/MBmjuSPqez pic.twitter.com/G8sUHDmLub
— Jess Shankleman (@Jess_Shankleman) March 30, 2016
“With all the shortages we face, and prices through the roof, now we have to go without electricity”, said an angry Karelis Aristiguieta at a local university.
“Everything is ruined,” she said referring her difficulty in maintain her family food safe, specially hard-to-find milk for her baby grandaughter.
In the meantime, in some cities of Venezuela there are people who only lives illuminated with the candlelight of and some food that got after a hard and long day under the sunlight.
Source:Washington Post