Venezuela’s turbulent economy has affected its citizens in a number of ways including food shortages, power outages, and, now, the capital, Caracas, is running out of water.
One of Venezuela’s most prominent hospitals, the Central Venezuelan University Hospital, is suffering from “water cuts” which are resulting in bathrooms being shut down, surgeries being cancelled, and limited water access in the facility. Water is limited to a handful of dripping faucets on the hospital's first floor.
“I have gone to the operation bloc and opened the tap to wash my hands, as you must do before a surgery, and nothing comes out,” said gynecologist Lina Figueria.
Caracas isn’t the easiest city to get water supplies to, either. It is separated from a major river by a large mountain range and is about 1,000 feet above sea level. The government has been working on this issue since the 1990s, but, as we know, socialists aren’t great at making things work.
“For many years this deterioration process was not noticeable. But now the water transport systems are very damaged,” said Jose De Viana, former president of Hidrocapital, the state-run utility that manages Caracas’ water supply.
Approximately 75 percent of Caracas residents say they don’t get water regularly and 11 percent said dirty water has caused them skin and stomach problems.
This desolation of socialist policies in Venezuela is really starting to impact its neighboring countries, particularly Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia.
Venezuelans are fleeing the country and they are bringing diseases like the measles with them. According to reports, 281 people have been diagnosed with measles in Roraima which is one of the least-populated states of Brazil.
Just like in Brazil, Venezuelans are fleeing west to Colombia which is causing a massive strain on the country. The United States is sending about $9 million in aid to the Colombian government to help with their Venezuelan refugee crisis.
Refugees from Venezuela are even passing through Colombia to nearby Ecuador which is struggling with with mass Venezuelan migration. According to reports, about 3,000 refugees entering the country each day and Ecuador is requiring aid from the United Nations in order to handle the mass inflow of migrants.