Venezuela faces six weeks with restrictions of electricity consumption. For 40 days, starting Monday, April 25, in most parts of the country on four hours a day will turn off the power supply, The Wall Street Journal writes.
All because of the unprecedented drought: lack of water in the reservoir of the largest hydroelectric Venezuelan Guri El, which provides, according to various estimates, from 40 to 65% of the capacity of the country, working at minimum values.
Now the water level in the reservoir has reached a critical level — to 242.7 m above sea level at minimum, which can run HPS, 240 m.
Rationing will affect those who consume the most energy, 10 most populated States of the 23 largest cities including some districts of the capital Caracas, said the Minister of electric power Bridge Luis Dominguez. The shutdown will occur from noon to 20 PM.
According to authorities, almost 60% of the total consumption in the private sector. The announced restrictions are necessary to reduce energy consumption in homes and reduce water consumption, while the government expects good weather.
“We call for the cooperation of all Venezuelans. It is time to show patriotism and to unite in order to overcome the climatic factor”, — said the Minister.
In some regions of the country began the rainy weather, which literally prayed to local officials, but so far it has not solved the problem of lack of water.
To restrict all
Electricity is on track not only did the authorities of Latin American countries in attempts to stabilize the situation. For example, they declared Friday public holiday for civil servants. Shopping malls were ordered to close earlier and partially self-sufficient through self-refresh, according to BBC.
Along with this citizens urged to temporarily refuse the use of household appliances parts. For example, the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro advised women not to blow-dry the hair. “I always thought a woman looks more attractive when combing and drying her hair with fingers, the natural way”, — quoted his media. He also suggested drying clothes outside and not to use the special functions of washing machines.
Even among recent measures — the transfer of the clock half an hour forward to save, which took place in mid-April and will last two months. The period of wakefulness began to have more light time, but also increased the number of people who need to get to work in the dark.
All this, given the fact that rolling, unscheduled outages that left without electricity factories and home six to eight hours a day, had occurred in the past, does not call the citizens desire to show the same patriotism. Besides this power outage is only one of the problems.
“The new time zone of Venezuela: watch without light, without water watch, watches presidential broadcast hours in the queue,” The Guardian cited local sharpness.
The drought has naturally caused disruptions in the supply of water, which is now limited to the cities a few hours three times a week. The residents complain that it is very dirty, a pronounced yellow color. Water tanks which the authorities sent to fight the drought, began to plunder. “Two or three times a week the machines that we send, stop gangs. They cause drivers to change the route and emptied the tank on the territory they control” — the words of a local official Tatiana Noguera Bloomberg.
In addition to drought caused by weather phenomenon “El niño”, — forest fires and dust storms, which has led to an increase in the number of respiratory diseases and has increased the demand for scarce medicines.
Basic goods also becomes increasingly difficult to get in the state stores because of three-digit inflation rates of products are issued by cards and queues, on the black market speculative prices due to the depreciation of the national currency.
In the end, Venezuela has been affected by several adverse weather and economic factors. In addition to adverse weather conditions adds complexity to the unstable economic situation.
For sale oil accounted for 95% of budget revenues, therefore, the foreign exchange earnings, given the sharp drop in oil prices has seriously declined.
Now the barrel Brent is trading at $45, which is more than 2.5 times lower than July 2014, when the prices began to fall. We will remind, then the barrel was estimated at $110. In 2015, the price per barrel fell by about 34%, from $i.e. 55.38 in early January to $36,6 at the end of December. Now prices are still on the rise — in January 2016 they dropped to $28.
The lack of petrodollars affects the production. For example, on the eve of the largest beer company of Venezuela Empresas Polar (accounting for 80% of beer in the country) said that she would have to stop production because of a lack of dollars to import barley. Temporary leave can get 10 thousand out of 30 thousand employees.
This year, according to the International monetary Fund (IMF), Venezuela’s economy could decline by 8% and inflation to reach 720 per cent.
