Ecuador and Colombia | Why are there power outages and water supply in these countries? | What is happening in Ecuador and Colombia? | Drought Energy | El Nino event | Daniel Nobowa | Gustavo Pedro | the world

Colombia Y Ecuador They are facing a critical situation due to the drought, which has led their officials to enforce water or electricity supply and to order work days to be suspended to conserve energy. Both countries are water superpowers, but lack of rain has left their reservoirs almost empty. To this must be added the lack of infrastructure and dependence on hydropower plants to meet the energy demand in both countries.

In the case EcuadorBesides El Nino phenomenon And Climate crisis, President’s own government Daniel Nobowa A has also mentioned Neglect Caused by lack of energy.

WATCH: How Fujian looks like China’s newest and biggest aircraft carrier is trying to get closer to the US.

Keys to understanding the problem facing both countries are:

Blackout in Ecuador

On April 17, Ecuador announced a new energy rationing program of up to 13 hours in some placesThe national average is eight hours in different cities and regions according to consumption factors.

Even the Novoa government decreed ““Closed working day on Thursday 18th April and Friday 19th April”.

But as the days went by, the ration rates gradually decreased and last Tuesday it averaged two hours. That’s itEFE reported.

On May 2, due to improvement in the flows of rivers that feed several hydroelectric plants, The planned national blackout will be suspended for four days, the government said. On Sunday, the executive finally announced suspension of blackouts for another week, but clarified that this does not mean the power crisis is over.

Hourly power supply

According to Ecuador’s Energy Minister Roberto Luque, this is causing losses of about 12 million dollars.

Key to Mazar Reservoir, Ecuador

He Mazar Reservoir It is the second largest Ecuador And, as EFE reports, Energy is at the heart of the crisis.

Located in the Andean province AsuaiIt has a storage capacity of 410 million cubic meters of water Power to three hydroelectric plants Its combined power is 1,757 MW, which is about one-third of the demand Ecuador.

The government approved the reservoir in mid-April Mazar Electricity and no reserves to produce Not in operation. The water level has dropped to 2,106 meters above sea level, very close to its minimum level of 2,098 meters.

Earlier this year, according to Ecuador Electric Corporation (Celec). Mazar It used to be about 2,143 meters above sea level, but it gradually came down to a critical level. You can now walk through areas that were covered in water until a few weeks agoEFE reported in April.

In the political sphere, a dramatic decline Reservoir The government is not the cause of the drought Noboa Said that It may have been deliberately omitted as an omission Against the referendum held on Sunday, April 21.

Liaison Secretary to the President, Roberto IzurietaIn an interview with Teleamazonas, he went as far as to say “The floodgates were opened” and “they let the water flow” until the reservoir became inactive.

But Celec Sur’s manager, Jose Gomez, rejected that assertion, saying, “The dam has no gates There may be inappropriate activity.”

However, the government pressed its allegation and filed a complaint against 22 people for sabotaging the situation by concealing information and not issuing warnings. Among the accused are the former Minister of Energy and Mines Andrea Arrobo.

Dependence of Ecuador on Colombia

In April Ecuador Stopped receiving Energy supply from ColombiaA country going through a difficult water situation and stopped exporting electricity to its neighbors.

But last week Monday, the Colombian president Gustavo Pedro In his account on the social network X, his country is “going to sell energy again Ecuador”, as Colombian reservoirs are increasing their water levels.

Ecuador In late 2023 it began increasing its energy imports due to drought El Nino phenomenon.

Ecuador’s hydroelectric plants produce 92% of the country’s energy needs7% comes from thermal hydraulic plants and 1% from non-conventional sources, according to government data.

Water supply in Bogotá

On Thursday, April 11, distribution of potable water began in an area-wise manner BogotaThe move will affect more than seven million people.

Why was this extreme step taken? The reason is the reservoir system SingasaAs one of the main water suppliers, the result reached critical levels boy

When rationing was announced, reservoir levels were at 16.63% and the target is to reach 20.13% by the end of April.

However, a few days later the mayor of Bogotá, CARLOS FERNANDO CALAN, said the regulation was not yielding the expected results and tightened measures. He said that the next step would be to provide electricity.

“Households using more than 22 cubic meters of water per month will have to pay extra”said the mayor. He also warned that fines of up to $300 could be imposed on those who wash their cars on the streets or engage in other activities deemed to be a waste of water.

Basically, lack of rain in the center of the country led the authorities Bogota To take these steps.

In April, the Ministry of Mines and Energy It reported that the levels of reservoirs intended for power generation have reached historic lows, hence the possibility of rationing orders, it said.

70% of Colombia’s electricity is produced by hydroelectric plants And the rest comes from Thermoelectric and wind and photovoltaic sources.

Circumstantial and fundamental issues

From January Colombia Faces a Unprecedented drought due to El Nino phenomenon And other factors, wreak havoc on you Water resources.

Ghisliane Echeverry, Director General of the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Idea) from Colombia, promised that The El Niño phenomenon is not the only variable During the very dry months of March and April, there were high probabilities of fires and low water levels in the reservoirs that supply Bogotá and surrounding cities.

“One of the factors is the weakening of the winds due to the thermal anomaly in the Atlantic Ocean,” he said.

Accordingly mongabay.com, The rainy season in Colombia was expected to begin in the second half of March. But the tropical convergence zone where the trade winds from the Northern Hemisphere meet from the Southern Hemisphere is very weak, which does not allow for the usual rainfall of the year.

In relation to infrastructure, in case Colombia It has not expanded at the rate of population growth.

Also, when he was mayor of Bogotá (2012-2015), the current president Gustavo Pedro For environmental reasons, the construction of a new reservoir tank for drinking water was abandonedAFP recalled.

In the case EcuadorEnergy consultant Jorge Luis Hidalgo told AFP in the country as well There is a lack of infrastructure And subsidies in this sector are a big problem going forward.

argued that Mining companies and other large companies benefit from preferential electricity tariffsThis is almost ten times less than the price paid by the government for imports Colombia.

For Hidalgo, There is not enough money coming into the country to expand the infrastructure, or “Maintenance and Operations”. It is a system that leaves no “return on investment”.