Ecuador rations electricity as drought persists in the northern Andes

By GONZALO SOLANO and MANUEL RUEDA
Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador has started to ration electricity in its main cities as a drought linked to the El Niño weather pattern depletes reservoirs and limits output at hydroelectric plants. “We urge Ecuadorians to cut their electricity consumption in this critical week,” the ministry of energy said in a statement. “And consider that each kilowatt and each drop of water that are not consumed will help us face this reality.” The power cuts in Ecuador come days after dry weather forced Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá to ration water as its reservoirs reached record lows, threatening local supplies of tap water.