Tough Time In Manaus: The Dry Season Mario Cohn-Haft - November 4, 1997 |
The most conspicuous problem around here is the energy crisis. After a deceptively
comforting lull in September, July and Augusts electricity rationing is back with a
vengeance. In the summer, the problem was old and faulty generators. Now were told
its because the river for the citys hydroelectric plant is unusually dry, and the water
level there (on the Rio Uatuma) continues to drop 15 cm/day. But everybody knows
that, with or without an exceptionally dry summer, Manaus couldnt continue to grow
indefinitely without an accompaniment in energy production. So now the power goes
out 3 times a day for 3 hours each time. More or less. In fact, it works sort of like some
kind of ancient Chinese torture. The timing keeps changing. You never really know
when the lightsll go out where or for how long.
Actually, because Im writing this in dribbles over a period of weeks, the scenario has
changed a bit. First of all, the rationing has become more predictable. The newspaper
now announces the times that each part of town will be without electricity. Its more or
less accurate. The Balbina hydroelectric dam has been de-activated and is virtually
completely dry. Word is that 2 private energy companies will begin producing
supplementary energy as of late November. Meanwhile, a floating generator is being
brought upriver to Manaus.
At least two businesses that I can think of are probably benefiting from the situation.
One is the sale of home, gasoline-powered generators, which as you can guess are all the
rage, despite outrageous prices. The other would be manufacturers of fax paper. Every
time our fax machine goes off and then on again, part of its warm up procedure is to spit
out and chop off a 2-inch section of blank fax paper. At three times a day, I will have
gone through an entire role of fax paper without receiving a single fax!
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