Problems with the supply of basic services in Venezuela have worsened during 2019, Venezuelans told Voice of America (VOA). They addressed the consequences of living in a country going through a crisis that, in their opinion, has interrupted the supply of public services, such as drinking water, electricity, garbage collection, and gas for residential use.
According to Venezuelan residents, the public services crisis went beyond short term solutions during 2019, and has become a structural problem that will require coordinating a series of policies to restore the right path toward providing services.
Eighty-year-old Antonia Arraneo who has lived in the country for 60 years, was upset about the lack of the water supply that lasted for more than a month.
“They announce that they are working on restoring the water supply, but it’s getting worse, so I ask the government: ‘Where are you sending the water?’ Because all of Venezuela is suffering from water [scarcity],” Arraneo said.
Others say that 2019 has been the worst year in terms of services and that the government is now violating the rights of its citizens.
“Public services don’t work, none of them, and not only this year [2019]. Obviously, if we talk about this year, the situation is much worse, but the provision of public electricity, water, gas for residential use, etc., has been deteriorating for years,” said Libardo Rodríguez, one of those consulted.
Silvia Serrano, another interviewee, said that “all Venezuelans deserve to have good services. Here, electricity surges and dips: Our fridges get damaged, our washing machines get damaged. How is it possible that in downtown Caracas, minutes away from Miraflores Palace, we don’t have good services?”