Venezuela’s crisis reflected in island’s problems

Toas – This western island is a microcosm of the problems facing Venezuela, which is undergoing a recession made worse by the sharp drop in global oil prices.

The island is facing acute water shortage and has no electricity.

Criminals vandalised the installation of a desalinisation plant that could have offered the island a brief respite.

Dario Diaz, a retired teacher, told Al Jazeera that there has been no water supply for four days. 

“They stopped water supply on Friday, Saturday, Sunday until today. There are some trucks now but it might not be enough for everyone,” she said.

A group of people in Toas has blocked a road to protest the decline in their quality of life.

“Before, we had water, we had boats that worked. This so-called progress is only taking us backwards,” Neilly Chacin, a Taos resident, told Al Jazeera.

Analysts have warned that the collapse in public services, like those on Toas, could increase the threat of social unrest as Venezuela’s economic crisis deepens.