02 April,2019 09:00 AM IST | | Agencies
A woman holds a placard reading "We Want Water and Electricity" as she shouts slogans during a protest. Pics/AFP
Caracas: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced 30 days of electricity rationing on Sunday, after his government said it was shortening the working day and keeping schools closed due to blackouts.
The measures are a stark admission by the government - which blamed repeated power outages in March on sabotage - that there is not enough electricity to go around, and that the power crisis is here to stay. The blackouts have worsened already dire economic and living conditions in the country.
Nicolas Maduro
Speaking on state television, Maduro said he had approved "a 30-day plan" to ration power. He did not detail how it would work but said there would be "an emphasis on guaranteeing water service". Maduro also acknowledged that many Venezuelans could not watch his broadcast because they had no electricity. Crippled infrastructure, little investment in the power grid and poor maintenance have all contributed to electricity problems.
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The Maduro government has blamed "terrorists" for alleged attacks that have damaged the Guri hydroelectric power plant, which generates 80 per cent of Venezuela's electricity. The plant, however, was already showing signs of trouble: back in 2010, then-president Hugo Chavez said electricity would be rationed because water was low at the Guri dam due to a drought.
The United States on Sunday appreciated India's efforts adding to Washington's sanctions to restrict exports of Venezuelan oil in the global energy market. "I would say that we have had contacts with Indian companies and with the Government of India and that we have found there to be a very considerable amount of cooperation, which we are very happy to see," said US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams.
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