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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Caracas Goes Thirsty |
| 2014-06-03 |
| Residents of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, who already struggle to find toilet paper and deodorant, are facing a new shortage -- drinking water. The rationing of tap water amid a drought and a shortage of bottles because of currency controls are forcing people to form long lines at grocery stores and bottle shops as soon as deliveries are made. Truck drivers spend much of their day outside water dispatch centers as they try to meet demand. âI used to have to wait an hour to refill the truck, but now I have to wait six,â said Carlos Miliani from his truck outside the Alpina dispatch center in eastern Caracas. âMore trucks are lining up here because of the shortage of plastic containers and the fact that plants that bottle mineral water have shut down.â Miliani, who was waiting behind 15 trucks at 11 a.m. to fill up with 5-gallon (19-liter) jugs, said that a government-mandated water rationing plan in Caracas and hot weather are fueling demand as supply shrinks. âI havenât been able to find 5-liter bottles of water in the supermarket for the past two weeks, and there havenât been half-liter bottles this week,â Maria Hernandez, a 36-year-old secretary, said in an interview in Caracas today. âI have four at home, but Iâm afraid that theyâll run out and that I wonât be able to find more. They ration water at my house on Wednesdays.â State water utility Hidrocapital this month started rationing water in the capital. Some areas of the city receive water service only three days a week, with most neighborhoods going without water at least one day a week. When water does flow, few residents dare to drink it because of contamination. It costs 30 bolivars ($4.80 at the official exchange rate) for a five-gallon jug of filtered water that comes in a reusable plastic container. Regulated prices for bottled water have not been raised since November 2011, industry association Anber said in a May 19 statement. Since then, consumer prices have risen 110 percent, according to central bank data, while the bolivar has lost 87 percent of its value on the black market, according to dolartoday.com, a website that tracks the value on the Colombian border. âProduction costs have risen with labor and transport,â Anber said. âThe cost of producing and distributing bottled water has more than doubled in the past two and a half years.â Economy Vice President Rafael Ramirez said today that the government is working to restore the supply of containers and that the currency board had approved dollar payments to small companies in priority sectors. âThere is a problem with the supply of plastic used to make the bottle caps, so weâre bringing it in ourselves,â Ramirez told reporters in Caracas. âMineral water is a government issue, as companies need permission to bottle it. If they leave us without water, weâll look into it.â Annual inflation in Venezuela hit 59 percent in March after the government carried out the biggest devaluation since currency controls were instituted in 2003. The central bank hasnât provided data on product scarcity since January, when it said 28 percent of basic goods were out of stock at any given time. Shortages of everything from car parts to flour have spurred almost four months of protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, leaving 42 people dead. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 "I don't often drink beer, but when I do, it's Dos Equis. "Stay thirsty......." |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2014-06-03 22:20 |
| #3 No water? Drink Bolivarian Chavismo! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-06-03 16:58 |
| #2 State water utility Hidrocapital this month started rationing water in the capital. Some areas of the city receive water service only three days a week, with most neighborhoods going without water at least one day a week. First toilet paper. Now no running water. Socialism at its finest. The usual covet and envy crowd aren't too good of actually making things work themselves. Under socialism you truly are either part of the |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-06-03 08:26 |
| #1 The bottled water is not to be trusted either, rainwater or Polar Beer are the only safe choices. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2014-06-03 04:43 |