Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Drought Means Christmas in the Dark

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CARACAS, Dec 28 2009 (IPS) - The drought in the area of the southeastern Caroní River, the result of the phenomenon known as El Niño, is casting a shadow in all populated areas of Venezuela, as the government ordered restrictions on public lighting. The measure affects shopping and entertainment centers, and there is also a ban on the use of incandescent light bulbs.

The dams on the Caroní River, the source of 73 percent of the electrical energy consumed in Venezuela, hold less and less water.

“The main one, the Guri dam, with a generation capacity of 10,000 megawatts, has lowered its level from 271 meters above sea level to 263 meters, just a few meters above critical level,” José Aller, an expert from Simón Bolívar University, told Tierramérica.

“The reservoirs need to recover during the next rainy season, beginning in April, but nobody knows if it will be enough, which is why the country could face several years of rationing,” said Aller.