Residents of the El Marañón neighborhood of Yariguá took to the streets after six days receiving just 25 minutes of electricity.
LIMA, Peru – After more than six days receiving only about 25 minutes of electricity, residents of the El Marañón neighborhood of Yariguá, in the province of Las Tunas, decided to take to the streets to demand solutions.
A journalist’s report Yosmany Mayeta on Facebook includes images of the protest that took place at night, when the residents of the town went out to the Central Highway playing cauldrons and chanting slogans such as: “Current time! The people respect each other!”
The publication details that the demonstration arose spontaneously among the residents of the neighborhood due to the lack of government responses to the critical energy situation.
“A neighbor, who toured the community calling to join the peaceful protest, claims that they were only looking for something as basic as a stable electricity schedule, a right that today has become a privilege,” Mayeta confirmed.
The passage of Hurricane Melissa at the end of October through the East of the Island further exacerbated the problem of blackouts. Entire towns remained without electricity or water service for several weeks, which also motivated multiple protests.
Only in Mayarí, province of Holguín, between November 21, 22, and 23 three demonstrations were recorded in different towns that demanded the restoration of electrical service.
“We are tired. We have lost all our strength. We have gotten sick from carrying water from the river to drink, water that is contaminated by so much rain. This is sad. We have no help from anyone. No one takes care of us. We feel abandoned,” denounced one of the residents of Guairajal during the protest.
The images show the growing discomfort of a population that has been facing prolonged blackouts for several years, in a context of generalized crisis in which the current epidemiological emergency due to arboviruses, inflation, lack of medicines and the deterioration of services stand out.
