GURI, Venezuela, (Reuters) – Drought has turned parts of the area behind Venezuela’s Guri dam, one of the world’s biggest, into a desert, but the government is optimistic of rain within weeks to drive the vast installation that provides the bulk of the OPEC nation’s power.
On a tour of the hydroelectric complex on the Caroni river, Electricity Minister Luis Motta told Reuters that forecasts showed a 70 to 80 percent chance of rain toward the end of April or in May to stop the waters behind the dam falling to a critical depth of 240 meters (790 feet).
Driving, hiking and rafting round the 4,600 square km (1,780 square miles) area, Motta, 57, pointed to unprecedented scenes revealed by the receding waters: long-sunken boats now visible; sand-dunes in previously submerged areas; cattle wandering across parched earth.
The reservoir in southern Bolivar state, which provides about 60 percent of the nation’s 16,000 megawatt power demand, hit a historic low of 243 meters (797 feet) this week.
