Venezuela’s Chavez appeals to God and nature to end drought
Reporting by Enrique Andres Pretel; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Eric Beech
CARACAS
Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:12am EST CARACAS (Reuters) – President Hugo Chavez is confident that God and nature will pull Venezuela out of a power crisis battering both the economy and his popularity. Rationing and blackouts have afflicted the South American oil exporter since late 2009, due mainly to a drought that has cut water levels at hydroelectric installations normally supplying more than two-thirds of power needs. … “The squalid ones are hoping it won’t rain,” Chavez said late on Tuesday, using his usual term for the opposition. “But it’s going to rain, you’ll see, because God is a ‘Bolivarian.’ God cannot be squalid. Nature is with us,” the socialist leader added during an event with athletes. … The government has introduced rationing across Venezuela and is threatening fines and cutoffs to large consumers who fail to reduce power use by 20 percent. … Authorities say the main reservoir, El Guri, is close to “collapse,” possibly in May or June, if there is no rain soon. …
