It’s Getting Hard to Get Water and Electricty in Venezuela

The total suspension of the service in Caracas, and in the neighboring states of Vargas and Miranda, will continue until the early hours Sunday, the time required to repair and substitute valves and other electric and mechanical equipment, which for several weeks have been monitored to make sure no water is being wasted. Venezuela largely depends on hydroelectric power, and the 18 principal dams that provide such energy are practically empty, “very close to the red line,” Water Minister Ernesto Paiva said early this month. Electric Power Minister Luis Motta for his part warned this Friday that without enough water savings nationwide “to help minimize the effect (of the El Niño phenomenon), we could have a total collapse of the electricity supply by the first weeks of April.”More…