Venezuela faces food and water issues amid political crisis

Venezuela is facing serious problems because of the nationwide power cuts. The power cuts have left people without basic need of food and water water as the people have to either throw or donate food because the groceries would rot in their fridges without power or they couldn't cook it in their electric stoves at home.

Caracas: The nationwide power cuts have raised tensions among the Venezuelans who were already struggling with an economic crisis and a bitter political standoff.

Schools and businesses were closed, cars waited in long lines at the few gasoline stations with electricity and hospitals cared for many patients without power.

Apart from these, the power cuts have left people without basic need of food and water as the people have to either throw or donate food because the groceries would rot in their fridges without power or they couldn't cook it in their electric stoves at home.

To ease the travails a bit a restaurant named Hache Gourmet took the initiative to prepare food for those in need. The restaurant owners took to social media to announce that the restaurant would be making the traditional stuffed corn-patty arepas and would donate them to charitable foundations and hospitals.

"We prefer a thousand times to donate food that is in good condition than to wait until Wednesday to see what was going to happen with these blackouts," said Natali Alvarez, one of the owners of Hache Gourmet.

The water problem couldn't be solved as the water pumps were not working without electricity and people were seen filling water bottles from a polluted river in Caracas.

Engineers restored power in some parts of Venezuela but it was still fluctuating which President Nicholas Maduro and other government officials said they were working hard to restore.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido blamed the blackouts on alleged government corruption and mismanagement.

Venezuela is facing a major political crisis after Opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself as interim President saying that Maduro wasn't legitimately re-elected last year because opposition candidates weren't permitted to contest. The US and more than 50 governments have recognised Guaido as the interim President of Venezuela and are constantly pressurising Maduro to quit.