Ecuador tells workers to stay home amid energy crisis
(FILES) This picture taken at the Mosul Dam during a press tour organized by the facility's administration, northwest of Iraq's northern city of Mosul on 21 September 2023, shows a view of the sluice gates emptying water into the Tigris River and the dam's hydroelectric power station.
Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP
Ecuador on Wednesday ordered all public and private workers to stay home for two days as critically low water levels at hydroelectric plants spark a major power crisis in the country.
President Daniel Noboa decreed "the suspension of the working day" on Thursday and Friday, saying the crisis was a result of "environmental circumstances" but also "unheard-of acts of corruption and negligence."
The country has been experiencing blackouts of up to six hours.
Noboa said the reservoir serving the country's Mazar hydroelectric dam in southern Azuay province stood completely empty, while the nearby Paute dam had storage levels of four percent.
Noboa declared an emergency in the electricity sector on Tuesday, and replaced Energy Minister Andrea Arrobo.
He also ordered an investigation into suspicions of corruption related to electricity production, without giving details.
Ecuador's power crisis coincides with neighboring Colombia halting exports of electricity to the country, as its own hydropower plants stand at near-critical levels due to a severe dry spell.