Due to extreme drought:

Ecuador switches off electricity at night from Monday

One of the reservoirs in Ecuador, which is almost empty due to the extreme drought

(Bild: AFP/Edwin Tapia)

Ecuador wants to protect itself from the effects of an extreme drought on the country's energy supply with night-time power cuts. The eight-hour power cuts will be imposed for the first time next Monday from 10 p.m. (local time).

As the government in Quito announced on Tuesday, the temporary introduction of home office or teleworking in the public sector is also intended to alleviate the current energy shortage. The measures will be implemented from Thursday.

This period has been chosen in order to have "as little impact as possible" on productivity and everyday working life, the government explained. It had previously announced an eight-hour power outage from 10 p.m. this Wednesday for "preventive maintenance work" on the energy transmission grid.

"Worst drought in 61 years"
 According to the government, Ecuador is currently suffering from "the worst drought in the last 61 years", which is having a serious impact on electricity production. This depends to a large extent on hydroelectric power plants in the South American country.

Problems with gang violence
According to Interior Minister Mónica Palencia, there will be curfews in Ecuador at the same time as the nightly power cuts in order to increase security. The background to this is that violent crime has recently increased massively in a country that has long been considered comparatively peaceful and stable. Gang violence in particular is a growing problem.