nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
En Venezuela existen dos escenarios relacionadas con la gestión del recurso agua.Uno más pesimista asume el problema con la no garantía del derecho al agua ni en cantidad ni calidad causante de enfermedades hídricas principalmente en los niños. El otro parece ignorar el problema global, de forma superficial atacando los efectos o consecuencias con el programa educativo ambiental “Agua en nuestras vidas' más no la causa que lo origina. Está orientado a promover un cambio de actitud en el plano educativo y comunitario en cuanto al uso racional, responsable, adecuado y sustentable del agua potable; a simple vista pareciera no llegar a toda la población venezolana.
el desmantelamiento de toda la estructura institucional y física del sector compromete la calidad de las fuentes de abastecimiento, los procesos de tratamiento y de potabilización de las aguas, la distribución, el saneamiento, la salud, la producción hidroeléctrica, la hoy escasa producción alimentaria e industrial. En fin, la vida de los venezolanos en todos los ámbitos.
Fuentes de captación deterioradas. Las cuencas productoras de agua, dentro y fuera del Sistema Nacional de Parques están siendo intervenidas, taladas y contaminadas, con la consecuente disminución de sus caudales.
12. Contaminación de cuerpos de agua superficiales y subterráneos por actividad histórica extractivista, agrotóxicos y vertederos a cielo abierto. Los contaminantes llegan a lugares que se suponían prístinos, e inclusive al mar Caribe y al océano Atlántico.
El Lago de Valencia es una reserva de agua dulce. Hoy en día: a )  Es un sumidero doméstico, industrial y agrícola, con la consiguiente severa contaminación de sus aguas. b )  Aproximadamente 3.600 personas han sido desplazadas por el aumento de su nivel. c ) Más de 2.000 habitantes viven por debajo del nivel de sus aguas. Apenas los separa un muro que intenta detener una inundación a gran escala, pero el agua y el tiempo superan los cálculos de diseño y la vida útil del muro. d )  Las respuestas gubernamentales son inoperantes, mientras el lago eleva su cota y crece el riesgo de una tragedia absolutamente evitable.
La red de monitoreo hidrometeorológica, herramienta indispensable de cualquier plan de suministro de agua potable y evaluación de riesgos, se encuentra igualmente muy disminuida en su institucionalidad y en su infraestructura. Eventos absolutamente previsibles, intensificados por el cambio climático, si acaso llegan a reportarse, no son atendidos adecuadamente. La condición se profundiza porque energéticamente dependemos del embalse Guri para producir más del 65% de la electricidad que se consume en el país. Actualmente 9 de sus 20 turbinas están dañadas y no existen planes para repararlas. El diagnóstico es reservado. Apagones de más de 12 horas han ocurrido y siguen ocurriendo en gran parte del territorio nacional.
Hoy día, el 82% de la población, equivalente a 28.621.000 personas, no recibe agua de manera continua5. La que recibe esporádicamente es de dudosa calidad o no potable6. Al contrario, en 1998 el 87% de la población recibía agua potable de manera continua y regular.
Y es que el servicio de una cisterna no es nada económico. El litro de agua cuesta entre 50 y 160 bolívares, por lo que un camión de 15.000 litros, puede costar entre 750.000 y 2,4 millones de bolívares. Sin embargo, hay quienes corren con suerte y los jefes de calle –personas encargadas de repartir las cajas Clap– logran el servicio de agua por parte de Pdvsa o Hidroandes.
La situación de hoy obliga a los usuarios a almacenar agua en envases diversos, que propician el crecimiento de vectores de enfermedades como Zika, el Dengue y Chikunguya. Adicionalmente obliga a buscar proveedores informales de agua  ( caso de camiones cisternas )  cuya calidad como agua potable no está en absoluto garantizada y cuyos costos son muy onerosos, sobre todo para los usuarios de menores recursos. Esta adversidad significa que, en la actualidad, la calidad de vida del 82% de los venezolanos es cada vez más precaria.
La situación de racionamiento que sufre el 82 % de la población, implica una clara disminución de la calidad de vida de esa población. Adicionalmente, esas fugas de agua se reparan después de muchos días, a veces semanas y meses  ( si es que se reparan ) ; tiempo suficiente para que el agua socave vías y terrenos, con su consiguiente deterioro, sumando así un problema más: deslizamientos de masas de tierras, especialmente en áreas de viviendas informales, muchas de ellas en zonas de gran pendiente y terrenos inestables.
La última información disponible del Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, INE, de 2011, contabiliza una recolección de sólo un 30% de las aguas servidas de la población, alrededor de 9.000.000 de personas. Si desde ese año hasta ahora no ha habido reemplazo de tuberías, ni obras nuevas, es fácil entender que 7 años después la situación solo haya podido empeorar.
Según el último Boletín Epidemiológico de 12/2016, entre 2015 y 2016 hubo un incremento del 26,2% en los casos de diarreas en menores de 5 años  ( pasaron de 676.388 casos a 853.698 casos ) . Con una tasa correspondiente a 2016 de 781,05 casos por cada 100.000 habitantes. En el caso de la hepatitis viral A en 2015, el mismo Boletín señala que los casos alcanzaron a 5.850 y en 2016 disminuyeron a 4.305. La tasa de morbilidad nacional por dicha enfermedad alcanzó a 13,88 por cada 100.000 habitantes. En la semana 51 de 2016 se consideró situación de epidemia en Zulia, Táchira, Miranda, Yaracuy, Carabobo y Aragua y en situación de alerta a Falcón y Vargas. En la semana 52 de 2016 la situación de epidemia se evidenció en Falcón, Trujillo, Guárico y Delta Amacuro y en estado de alerta Zulia, Barinas, Lara, Cojedes, Aragua y Vargas11.
El 75% de los centros de atención de salud pública no reciben agua de forma continua, o no la reciben. Red hospitalaria sin suministro confiable de agua potable y con problemas de saneamiento. 55% de los centros de atención de salud pública no recibe agua de forma continua y hay un 25% que no recibe nada12
A la falta de mantenimiento y abandono de los equipos, se suma la falta de aseo adecuado de los espacios públicos de los centros de salud y de los privados como los quirófanos, lo cual, sumado a los botes periódicos de aguas negras, hacen claramente esperable la muerte de estos usuarios. En el Hospital Oncológico de Maturín las aguas negras invadieron el banco de sangre, impidiendo continuar con el tratamiento de pacientes de hemodiálisis. A pesar de las denuncias constantes de los profesionales de la salud y pacientes del hospital, las autoridades competentes se mantienen al margen
Casi todos los municipios del estado llanero padecen lafalta de agua, incluso Pedraza, que es la capital de los ríos, y lo lamentable es que por sus tuberías no sale agua.
Los habitantes de la entidad llanera deben “cazar' cuando llega el agua para poder almacenarla. Tanques, cilindros, botellones, ollas, todo es útil para tener una reserva.
Los planteles educativos, en todos sus niveles: básica, media, diversificada y universitaria, también sufren las consecuencias por deficiencias en el servicio de agua, por problemas sanitarios y/o inundaciones16. El comienzo del año lectivo 2018 2019 inicia con varios estados inundados y sus escuelas no escapan a esa situación. El maltrecho sistema de saneamiento que pueda aun existir no funciona bajo inundaciones. Noticias de prensa dan a conocer que en el Edo Bolívar hay al menos 14 escuelas utilizadas como refugio para las familias de poblados inundados17
El agua no está siendo tratada adecuadamente violando las normas establecidas. Las plantas potabilizadoras fueron construidas hace más de 50 años bajo unos parámetros técnicos convencionales, porque el agua presentaba bajos niveles de contaminación. Aún en 1995, el Decreto 883 muestra que todavía teníamos un agua fácilmente tratable: aguas tipo 1A y 1B31. Las condiciones del agua cruda han desmejorado considerablemente y las plantas no están en capacidad de potabilizar la materia prima contaminada que les llega.
En 1943 nace del Ministerio de Obras Públicas el Instituto Nacional de Obras Sanitarias INOS, encargado de allí en adelante y por más 40 años del abastecimiento y saneamiento urbano. Las construcciones fueron calculadas para una vida útil de 30 a 40 años. Cumplidos esos tiempos no ha habido obras de reemplazo planificadas ni el mantenimiento requerido para extender su utilidad. Sólo reparaciones por emergencia.
Desde 2018, con un enfoque de asistencia para salvar vidas, el Sistema de Naciones Unidas y sus socios han avanzado en la ampliación de sus actividades, incluida la vacunación a gran escala contra las enfermedades transmisibles, el suministro de generadores para los hospitales, más de 189.000 tratamientos preventivos y curativos para la desnutrición aguda, el fortalecimiento de las redes de protección transfronterizas y la prestación de servicios de protección a la infancia y de lucha contra la violencia basada en el género, el suministro de agua potable y productos de higiene a más de 28.000 personas y el apoyo a la educación de casi 50.000 niños, niñas y adolescentes.
El trabajo conjunto priorizará los estados más vulnerables y podrá extenderse a otros territorios posteriormente, en función de las necesidades. En estos lugares, la rehabilitación de 60 sistemas y la ampliación de redes, y el apoyo a la reparación y mejoramiento de los sistemas de saneamiento priorizados beneficiará de forma directa a más de 2,8 millones de personas.
en el interior del país las comunidades han sido afectadas por la falta de prestación de servicios básicos, acceso a la educación y a servicios de salud.
Se estima que en el país hay un 80% de escasez de métodos anticonceptivos, tanto en la red pública como en las farmacias privadas.
UNFPA ha trabajado en los últimos años con el Gobierno y la sociedad civil en Venezuela para dotar a diferentes centros de salud primaria con insumos de salud sexual y reproductiva, que incluyen más de 10 millones de preservativos, 75.000 dispositivos intrauterinos y 545.000 dosis de métodos anticonceptivos.
Médicos, enfermeras, jefes de laboratorio, almacenistas y personal logístico, entre otros, han sido capacitados en temas de actualización en cuidados obstétricos de emergencia, anticoncepción, higiene hospitalaria, ITS, VIH y embarazo, sangre segura, sistemas para registro y control de insumos.
UNFPA, en estrecha cooperación con otras ONG y agencias de Naciones Unidas, trabaja activamente en la red de Espacios Seguros. En los Espacios Seguros las mujeres encuentran material informativo, atención psicológica, asesoría legal y respuesta a la violencia de género.
En el tema de violencia basada en género, UNFPA capacitó a más de 114 funcionarios de instituciones públicas y ONG para mejorar la prevención y respuesta de la violencia basada en género con énfasis en violencia sexual, quienes han sensibilizado a unas 3.500 personas en localidades de los estados fronterizos con Colombia y Brasil.
En esta línea se han capacitado igualmente 135 funcionarios de centros de salud en el manejo clínico de la violencia sexual y se ha dotado a los centros de salud de insumos para el tratamiento adecuado de profilaxis en casos de exposición a  ( PEP )  VIH, ITS y anticoncepción de emergencia.
The worsening public health system is a central concern. Health professionals experience difficulties to deliver needed medical assistance, particularly in urgent cases. Shortages of medicines and medical items, and a lack of health personnel cause severe limitations in access to health care. .
In 2016, Venezuela was affected by the worst drought in almost 50 years. The government took special measures in the face of this drought to reduce electricity consumption and promote water rationing, as water levels at the Guri hydroelectric dam  ( the country's main dam that generates more than 80% of the country's electricity )  decreased to critical levels. This situation occurred during a severe economic crisis, which started in 2014 due to the fall in international crude oil prices that are the source of 96% of the country's foreign exchange.
The livelihoods and basic needs approach in Venezuela are a continuation of a two year project aiming to contribute to the capacity building of vulnerable communities affected by the country's current situation.
Since 2015, the health system has been affected by the country's socioeconomic situation. Outbreaks of different infectious diseases such as polio, malaria, measles, and diphtheria have been registered. Lack of in different institutions has led to an increase in infectious outbreaks of immune preventable diseases. Additionally, many children fail to comply with the immunization plan established by the Minitry of Health.
Population needs in Venezuela are diverse, however, factors such as violence, gender, age increase the vulnerability of these groups, especially women, children, people with disabilities and elderly requiring a differentiated approach to promote resilience in fragile contexts. In addition, the separation from families and loved ones, often leading to feelings of powerlessness and increased levels of stress. Therefore, there is a need for psychosocial support and opportunities to strengthen individual and collective resilience.
In recent years, Venezuela has been impacted by the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, which have caused droughts, floods, and landslides. Indirect consequences include an increase in diseases, such as malaria and dengue. These situations have also led to losses in local agriculture production.
The ICRC has ongoing activities, which include support to 28 health public hospitals and 8 primary health care structures and other projects in partnership with the VRC.
The country is facing a complex scenario, with a significant deterioration in indicators of physical and mental health, water, sanitation, and hygiene. About three million people suffer from chronic diseases and a lack of access to treatment. The lack of curative and preventive health measures and the reduction of water supplies have had critical consequences for the population. Based on surveillance and analyses of secondary data, health and water sanitation and hygiene are primary needs considering the increased levels of hepatitis A, maternal and infant mortality; the spread of vaccine preventable diseases, such as measles and diphtheria; and increases in numbers of infectious diseases such as malaria
Datos recopilados recientemente por una encuesta nacional, la Encuesta Nacional de Hospitales, ofrecen un panorama sombrío de la infraestructura de salud de Venezuela. Los hospitales informan de un aumento de las muertes por un brote de amibiasis, una forma de disentería transmitida por alimentos o agua contaminados.
National Society Capacity The Venezuelan Red Cross  ( VRC )  has provided humanitarian assistance in Venezuela for 124 years, with about 2,500 volunteers  ( 500 first aiders )  across the country, 24 branches, and 1,400 staff members, volunteers, doctors and nurses. Over the past decade, the VRC has worked with communities to jointly design and implement community resilience actions, including emergency response in coordination with local disaster management authorities. Working in partnership with local authorities and partners, based on the Red Cross principals of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, the National Society has played an important role in assisting communities as first responders in disasters. The trusted status of the Red Cross allows access to communities in need. The National Society has provided first aid services, pre hospital care and psychosocial support in response to recent events in the country. Furthermore, the VRC has established a situation room at its headquarters  ( which is coordinating with situation rooms at branches level )  and is issuing internal bulletins monitoring the situation.
Health According to PAHO Epidemiological Update Diphtheria in Venezuela, a diphtheria outbreak began in July 2016. Since the beginning of the outbreak until EW 8 of 20191, a total of 2,726 suspected cases were reported  ( 2016: 324 cases, 2017: 1,040 cases, 2018: 1,198 cases, and 2019: 164 cases ) ; of these, 1,612 were confirmed. A total of 280 deaths were reported  ( 17 in 2016, 103 in 2017, and 150 in 2018 ) . The case fatality rate among confirmed cases was 18% in 2016, 13% in 2017, 20% in 2018 and 26% in 2019. In 2018, 22 federal entities and 99 municipalities have reported confirmed cases among all age groups.2 Regarding measles, between EW 26 of 2017 and EW 52 of 20183, a total of 9,116 suspected cases  ( 1,307 in 2017 and 7,809 in 2018 ) , including 6,202 confirmed measles cases  ( 727 in 2017 and 5,475 in 2018 ) , have been reported. There were 76 deaths reported: 2 in 2017  ( in Bolívar )  and 74 in 2018  ( 37 in Delta Amacuro, 27 in Amazonas, 6 in Miranda, 3 in the Capital District, and 1 in Bolívar ) . Between 1 January and 27 February 2019, there were 283 cases reported, of which 40 were confirmed. The most recent confirmed case had rash onset on 17 February 2019. The cumulative incidence rate in the country during 2017 2019 is 19.6 cases per 100,000 population.4
WASH According to the evaluations conducted in projects implemented together by the IFRC and VRC  ( Strengthening Lifestyles and Strengthening Community Resilience ) , water service is the most deteriorated public service in the country. The scarcity and low quality of water is common throughout the country, and authorities are implementing an alternate distribution of the water supply depending on local capacities. A lack of maintenance to the water and sewage systems has resulted in poor quality water supplies, multiple malfunctions and inconsistent repairs in areas that have remained without water for more than 15 continuous days on occasions. Currently, the population is struggling to cope with this complicated situation. Some households have purchased water tanks and are buying water from private trucks, but many other communities do not have this financial capacity. The low level of water potability makes safe consumption of this water almost impossible. In fact, there has been an increased number of water borne diseases, such as the recent outbreak of hepatitis A, mainly in the states of Capital District, Falcón, Zulia and Apure. The lack of sanitation has generated a scenario with multiple diseases in the population, such as intestinal and skin infections among others. Open defecation is practiced by the 29% of rural population in Venezuela, third worst in Latin America after Bolivia and Haiti.
According to preliminary evaluations of the VRC with the support of the IFRC, water analysis results showed coloration that is three times more yellowish than what is allowed, aluminum content that is five times  ( 1 mg per liter )  accepted standards and iron content that is three times  ( 0,70 mg per liter )  the level accepted by authorities. High levels of iron over time can produce corrosion inside the steel pipes network.
The current situation requires to establish continuous and improved services of solid waste collection, adequate treatment of water, wastewater and sewage removal.
The situation of hygiene in country shows a marked deterioration
the precarious household economy does not allow families to cover their basic needs in WASH.
Solid waste and proliferation of breeding sites have increased population of vectors  ( mosquitoes, rodents, flies )  responsible for the appearance of different disease outbreaks  ( malaria, dengue, chikungunya, zika, etc. ) .
The Regional Logistics Unit have already established a platform of communications with the MedLog and logistics coordinator, already on site, to provide information regarding the evolution of the situation, the operation's unmet needs, changes, and achievements through the actions implemented.
Así mismo, se valoró la opinión del ciudadano sobre las formas de tratar el agua para su consumo, resultando que a excepción de Valencia y Ciudad bolívar  ( donde en mayor proporción se practica la compra de agua embotellada con un 63% y 48%, respectivamente )  el método que prevalece o el más empleado en los centros urbanos estudiados es el de hervir el agua, siendo los más altos índices de uso en Caracas con 48%, San Cristóbal con 43% y Maracaibo con 44% de sus habitantes. También, aunque no fue la forma de potabilización predominante en ninguna de las ciudades, se apreció un mayor uso del filtro de agua en San Cristóbal con 34%, Barquisimeto 29% y Barcelona con 26%.
La ciudad capital presenta escasez de agua desde el sábado en varios municipio incluyendo Libertador, Baruta, Hatillo, entre otros, según la información en el Twitter de Hidrocapital.
Toda esa estructura construida entre las décadas de 1940 a 1980, bajo la administración del INOS y luego con el concurso del Ministerio del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales Renovables  ( MARNR )  a partir del año 1975, comenzó su decadencia en la década de los 80. La reestruc  turación del Estado, propiciada por el gobierno de Carlos Andrés Pérez, en su segundo mandato, generó la Ley de Supresión del INOS  ( 1989 ) , la creación de HIDROVEN como casa matriz y las Empresas Hidrológicas Regionales, Estatales y Locales. Esta conformación del sector se mantiene a la fecha, a pesar de que la aceleración del proceso de descentralización del sector, a través de las Leyes de Prestación del Servicio de Agua Potable y Saneamiento y la Ley de Aguas que fueron promulgadas y aprobadas, nunca ocurrió.
Extensas redes de tuberías, más de 30.000.000 metros en aguas blan  cas y lo mismo en aguas servidas3, grandes estaciones de bombeo, pozos, plantas de tratamiento y sistemas de control no han sido reha  bilitados por años y han dejado las unidades en pésimas condiciones. La tecnología ha sido execrada
2.1 Producción  ( embalses, pozos, plantas desalinizadoras )  Venezuela, como país enclavado en el trópico, está sometida a los pe  ríodos de sequía y lluvia que obligan a generar grandes reservas de agua necesarias para cubrir los períodos de verano, por lo que nues  tro país tiene 81 grandes embalses, sin incluir los diseñados para ge  neración eléctrica. La mayoría tienen usos múltiples  ( abastecimiento, control de inundaciones, riego o recreación ) , construidos bajo planes de desarrollo sostenible lamentablemente abandonados. Sólo dos em  balses se han construido en los últimos veinte años; la ampliación de El Diluvio en Perijá y la reparación del Guapo, en Miranda. Estas grandes obras son maravillas de la ingeniería y vitales para el desarrollo.
Hoy en día, áreas fundamentales de los sistemas como las cuencas o las descargas finales a los cuerpos de agua, no tienen responsables asociados a la empresa que opera el acueducto. Esto tiene un impacto importantísimo en la calidad de las aguas, que afecta a la población y a los sistemas letalmente.
el Gobierno ha hecho un dictamen, decreto o simple prohibición, que impide hablar de la calidad del agua, ocultando los datos que según Ley deben publicarse periódicamente. Este último aspecto hay que considerarlo como un delito de lesa hu  manidad, ya que el agua es el único elemento de los servicios públicos, que es parte de la alimentación directa o indirecta de la sociedad.
Las inversiones consolidadas del sector, en el período 2002 2013, han sido mucho menores en términos reales, a las requeridas para cubrir el crecimiento vegetativo de la población y mantener los porcentajes de cobertura. Además, entre 2002 y 2012, la inversión pública para el sec  tor no ha superado el 0,1% del PIB, cuando lo deseable para servicios públicos, de acuerdo con estándares internacionales, es el 1% como mínimo.
En los casos de Delta Amacuro, Lara, Nueva Esparta, Trujillo, Zulia y varias ciudades intermedias como Valle la Pascua, El Sombrero, Carúpano y muchas otras hay una altísima dependencia del sumi  nistro mediante camiones cisterna. Todo ello evidencia condiciones precarias de suministro del servicio en estas regiones.
La situación deficitaria generalizada de suministro, se traduce en un pago sustancialmente mayor por el litro de agua entregada a través de camiones cisterna. Los camiones cisterna, en las zonas de bajos ingresos, cobran Bs. 500 por cada 1.000 litros, lo que representa más de 100 veces la tarifa residencial por tuberías.
La crisis en Venezuela ha alcanzado un nuevo nivel de urgencia a medida que el agua potable se vuelve cada vez más difícil de encontrar. El deterioro de las condiciones económicas y políticas bajo el régimen anterior ha provocado cortes de energía que periódicamente cierran las plantas de tratamiento de agua del país. El agua corriente ahora sólo está disponible de forma intermitente
Caracas, miércoles 05 de junio de 2019.  El presidente de la Comisión Permanente de Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Cambio Climático de la Asamblea Nacional, José Gregorio Graterol, resaltó que en Venezuela no hay nada que celebrar este miércoles Día Mundial del Ambiente, ya que el 82% de la población no recibe agua potable continua y 30 % de la misma se pierde debido al daño de tuberías, según cifras del Reporte Nacional Emergencia Humanitaria Compleja y Derecho al Agua.
5.400 litros de agua ya tratada se pierden La representante del departamento de ingeniería sanitaria y ambiental de la Universidad Central de Venezuela  ( UCV ) , Griselda Ferrara de Giner quien participó como ponente, informó a través del Reporte Nacional Emergencia Humanitaria Compleja y Derecho al Agua, que la falta de mantenimiento de las redes de distribución de agua potable y de las conexiones domiciliares provocan pérdidas de 5.400 litros de agua ya tratada. Asimismo, explicó que hay una disminución drástica del servicio de aguas residuales y que en el año 2011, se contabilizó una recolección de solo 30% de agua servida de la población, sumado a esto, se encuentra que las fuentes de captación están deterioradas, las cuencas productoras de agua, dentro y fuera del Sistema Nacional de Parques están siendo intervenidas, taladas y contaminadas con la consecuente disminución de sus caudales.
En este sentido, la ingeniera egresada de la UCV sostuvo que el reporte plantea que el Estado tiene la obligación internacional de garantizar un sistema de abastecimiento y gestión de agua que llegue en forma suficiente, regular y apta a cada hogar, institución educativa, centro de salud y lugar de trabajo, así como regular y controlar eficazmente los recursos hídricos que evite su contaminación y extracción no equitativa, de igual forma aceptar asistencia humanitaria internacional entre otros.
El tema eléctrico es importante, pero las ciudades sin agua se convierten en algo muy difícil. Después de que salgamos de esta calamidad, de esta tragedia en las que estamos metidos, nosotros tenemos que poner las cosas a funcionar para que esta situación tan grave no la vuelva a conocer el país», sentenció.
79 deaths due to water/electricity shortages in public hospitals between November and February
Serious disruption of the health system, with 70% of hospitals suffering water shortages, only dialysis and emergency units fully working, under treatment and early releases of “non urgent' patients, food and water not being guaranteed to patients
The risks of zika, chikunguya and dengue have been highlighted, and experts predict the outbreak of an epidemiological crisis that would aggravate the current health emergency
a nongovernmental group recorded 23,860 power failures nationwide between January and May, an average of 158 a day. The year 2019 has also seen four major national blackouts, the latest of which took place in July, in which the majority of the country was left without electricity for several days. The government implemented a rationing plan in response to the blackouts; it mandates daily power cuts of three hours and affects an estimated 18 million Venezuelans as well as hundreds of hospitals and schools. However, the actual cuts tend to be longer and more frequent than what is outlined in the plan, sometimes lasting more than a week.
Access to water is also a serious problem. An analysis of state and regional hydrological plans by the news site Prodavinci found that 9.78 million people had their water rationed during 2016 and 2017, receiving it an average of two days a week. The situation continued to worsen in 2018: 38 percent of households received water a few days a week in 2018, up from 31 percent the previous year, while 33 percent received it once a week or less, compared to 23 percent the previous year. Moreover, 23 percent of the households did not have access to potable water.
According to the Venezuelan Health Observatory  ( OVS ) , food production decreased by more than 60 percent between 2014 and 2018. The Chávez and Maduro administrations crippled the agricultural sector by expropriating farms and companies, implementing price controls, monopolizing the distribution of agricultural inputs, and requiring that a portion of crops be sold to government companies. Last year, the National Association of Farmers announced that agricultural production could only satisfy a quarter of the national demand and had been declining steadily for the past eleven years. This reduction coincided with a decrease in food imports, which fell by 70 percent between 2014 and 2016, according to a study by Harvard University. The high prices and scarce supplies of food, the closure of food establishments, and the difﬁculty of food preparation due to service failures made 80 percent of households food insecure in 2017, according to ENCOVI
When asked if their income was sufﬁcient to buy food for the family, almost 90 percent of respondents answered negatively. Faced with this situation, four in every ﬁve adults reduced their food intake and three in every ﬁve skipped meals. The quality of people's diets also worsened, with households reducing their consumption of meat and fresh produce in favor of more affordable carbohydrates like rice and root vegetables.
Sixty four percent of respondents lost weight between 2016 and 2017, an average of 25 pounds per person. The Venezuelan government has not published nutrition data since 2007. However, a recent report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization  ( FAO )  shows that the prevalence of undernourishment increased almost fourfold during the Maduro administration, going from 6.4 percent of the population in 2012 14 to 21.2 percent of the population in 2016 18. That means that 6.8 million Venezuelans are currently undernourished, with children and pregnant women in poor neighborhoods the most affected.
The government distributes boxes of subsidized food through the Local Committees for Supply and Production  ( CLAP ) , which are operated by organizations linked to the ruling party. According ENCOVI, 16.3 million Venezuelans received CLAP boxes in 2018, representing more than half of the population. However, the boxes are not distributed frequently or regularly, and their prices have risen exponentially since the creation of the program in 2016. Even though the contents of a box last an average of eight days, the majority of households receive them only once a month or every two months, and the rest receive them at irregular intervals. Moreover, the price of the box increased by 53 million percent between May 2016 and June 2019. That means the program is unable to compensate for the high prices and scarce supplies of food, providing only temporary relief from hunger. The OVS has also denounced that CLAP boxes do not comply with nutritional and food standards. The CLAP program suffers from an additional problem. Instead of being administered by a non partisan institution, it is managed by the local structures of the ruling party, which tend to monitor the political activities of beneﬁciaries. People who do not support the government are often denied access to the boxes, regardless of their nutritional needs.
In October 2018, the Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation announced that 85 percent of essential medicines were scarce; this means that Venezuelans were only able to ﬁnd one and a half out of every ten medications they needed. The main victims of these shortages are patients suffering from cancer, heart problems, and chronic illnesses such as diabetes and HIV, who either have stopped receiving treatment or do so irregularly. According to a 2019 internal UN document, the lives of 300,000 people are at risk because they have not received needed medicines for more than a year.
The 2019 National Hospital Survey found that half the medication needed in emergency rooms and 27 percent of the medication and supplies needed in operating rooms around the country were not available. However, the problems facing health providers extend beyond scarcity. During the three months the survey was carried out, operating rooms were only working 27 percent of the time, intensive care units 40 percent of the time, and emergency rooms 85 percent of the time.
maternal mortality increased by 66 percent and infant mortality by 30 percent between 2015 and 2016. The numbers are likely to be even higher now, given the deepening crisis in the health sector and the deterioration in nutritional indicators for both groups.
Data from the Pan American Health Organization  ( PAHO )  and the World Health Organization  ( WHO )  demonstrate that previously controlled and eliminated diseases, including some easily preventable through vaccines, have reemerged. Venezuela recorded a single case of measles between 2008 and 2015, but more than 9,900 cases have been reported and 6,700 conﬁrmed since June 2017; 79 of these cases have been fatal. Similarly, the country recorded no cases of diphtheria between 2006 and 2015, but more than 2,800 cases have been reported and 1,700 conﬁrmed since July 2016, 286 of which have been fatal. Malaria has gone from being a disease under control, with close to 36,000 cases recorded in 2009, to being endemic, with more than 414,000 cases in 2017. The number of tuberculosis cases has also soared, rising from 6,000 in 2014 to 13,000 estimated for 2017, the highest in forty years.
Citizen Insecurity An additional reason that many Venezuelans are ﬂeeing concerns the exorbitant levels of violence and insecurity. According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence  ( OVV ) , there were 81.4 violent deaths per 100,000 people last year, the highest rate in Latin America. That means Venezuela is the most violent country in the region, well ahead of El Salvador and Honduras, which had homicide rates of 51 and 40 per 100,000 people, respectively. The organization found violence to be “epidemic' in 88 percent of Venezuelan municipalities, based on WHO standards, given that the number of violent deaths exceeds 10 per 100,000 citizens. In addition to the high rate of homicides, citizens are often subjected to armed robbery and kidnapping. It is difﬁcult to ﬁnd reliable data on these crimes, which are usually not reported to the authorities, but estimates suggest that Venezuela has one of the highest kidnapping rates in the region. The rise in extrajudicial executions is especially troublesome. In 2017, the government created a rapid response unit to combat organized crime and drug trafﬁcking, known as the Special Action Forces  ( FAES ) . The group has carried out numerous extrajudicial executions in the context of security operations in poor neighborhoods, according to the report by the Ofﬁce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights  ( OHCHR ) . The nongovernmental organization PROVEA registered 205 deaths at the hands of FAES during 2018 and 275 in the ﬁrst quarter of 2019 alone, and other organizations tracking violence report higher ﬁgures. The actual number is likely to be even greater than those estimates: more than 7,500 of the 23,000 violent deaths registered by the OVV in 2018 were caused by “resistance to authority,' a term authorities use to classify killings resulting from security operations. Between January and May of 2019, the organization reported more than 2,100 of such incidents. Information analyzed by the OHCHR “suggests many of these killings may constitute extrajudicial executions.'
Violations of Civil and Political Rights There are numerous reports of FAES targeting Venezuelans from poor neighborhoods who participate in demonstrations against the government. This practice is part of a larger pattern of government repression of civil and political rights, something documented extensively in the OHCHR report. Since May 2016 Venezuela has been governed under a state of exception, which gives the president wide, vague, and discretionary powers to preserve “internal order.' The police, armed forces, and intelligence agencies have been responsible for the excessive use of force during demonstrations and the arbitrary detention, ill treatment, and torture of political opponents and their relatives, according to the OHCHR report. Government repression began to rise during the opposition protests of 2014. According to the Venezuelan Penal Forum, a leading human rights group, more than 15,000 people were detained for political reasons between January 2014 and May 2019, the majority of them in the context of demonstrations. As of May 2019, almost 800 people remained arbitrarily detained and close to 8,600 had been conditionally released but were facing lengthy criminal proceedings. In the majority of the cases analyzed by the OHCHR, detainees had been submitted to one or more forms of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The report also documented the use of excessive force during demonstrations by the National Police and National Guard, sometimes with fatal outcomes. Data from PROVEA and OVCS show that 35 people died as a result of attacks on demonstrators during 2014 and at least 238 were killed between 2017 and 2019. In addition to these abuses, the OHCHR reported that trade union leaders and workers have been ﬁred and detained for demanding decent salaries and working conditions; health professionals for denouncing the state of the healthcare system; university faculty and staff for criticizing the government; and military and government ofﬁcers for being perceived as opponents to the regime. Many of these individuals have been forced into exile.
Distribution and access to safe water across the country is unequal and challenging, with the majority of water sources being located in the Southeastern part of the country, yet only 10% of the population is living here. The majority of the Venezuelan population lives in the rapidly urbanising North, but has only access to about 15% of water sources. As a result, households reportedly resort to stockpiling water, leading to potential unsafe consumption, and increasing the risk of waterborne diseases  ( IFRC 05/03/2019 ) . The implications are particularly serious for the health sector. ( CHE Health 09/2018 ) .
The latest available information regarding collection of residual waters is from 2011, when the National Institute of Statistics estimated 30% of residual water was redistributed to the population, as opposed to 84% of water recollected and 48% in 1998  ( CHE Agua 10/2018 ) .
The socioeconomic crisis in Venezuela continued to deteriorate throughout 2018, leading to further collapse of services, deterioration of health facilities, food security, and nutrition among the population, and one of the biggest mass displacements in South America's history. In December 2018, inflation stood at 2,500,000%, and this is expected to keep increasing. Food availability is hampered by import restrictions, and price increases reduce access to food, medicine and other basic goods. The economic crisis is exacerbated by the deepening political crisis. This is characterised by the erosion of democratic institutions and growing civil discontent. The standoff between the government and the opposition is exacerbating the risk of armed confrontation, and the likelihood of international intervention seems increasingly likely.
Shortages of medicine have led to the emergence of a black market, raising safety concerns over the quality and appropriateness of medicines sold to people who cannot afford them in the legal way  ( Financial Times 08/02/2019 ) .
Diseases: The dysfunctions of the health system have led to the resurgence of diseases that used to be eradicated, such as malaria, which saw a 205% increase across the country in recent years  ( Financial Times 08/02/2019 ) . Between 2017 and 2018, 2,500 deaths of people requiring dialysis for kidney deficiencies have been attributed to deficiencies of the health system  ( IACHR 09/01/2019 ) . 6,400 cases of measles including 76 deaths  ( CFR 1.2% )  have been recorded between mid 2017 and the end of 2018. 2,400 cases of dengue fever were reported in 2018 alone, and 150 people have died of diphtheria since July 2016, the case fatality rate having increased from 6% in 2017 to 20% at the beginning of 2019  ( USAID 01/03/2019 ) .
It is particularly challenging for HIV patients to find antiretroviral drugs, and an estimated 79,000 people have stopped getting treatment since 2017. Exact numbers are currently unknown, but over 5,000 HIV patients have died in 2018 alone, a significant increase from the 1,800 deaths recorded in 2014  ( Caracas Chronicles 21/02/2019, IACHR 09/01/2019 ) .
Mental health policies have historically been neglected in Venezuela, and people with mental health conditions  ( schizophrenia, dementia, depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, attentional deficit, intellectual disability, autism, etc. )  are heavily impacted by the collapse of the health system: the number of people in psychiatric institutions has reduced from 23,000 to 3,500  ( CHE Health 09/2018 ) . The social and economic stresses caused by the current crisis are certain to aggravate mental health issues.
Inflation has had a devastating impact on the purchasing power of Venezuelan households. In January 2019, a basic food basket containing 60 items cost about 360,115 Venezuelan Bolivars  ( VES ) . Between January 2018 and January 2019, the price of a basic food basket increased by 283,880%. In order to purchase a food basket, a household would have to earn 20 times the minimum monthly salary  ( VES 18,000 )   ( CENDA 18/02/2019 ) . In 2017, food prices in Venezuela increased by 2,616%.  ( Reuters 08/01/2018 ) .
Since 2008, agriculture began to fall and be replaced by imported products. The crisis has had a significant impact on agriculture, with the current level of production only able to cover 25% of national consumption according to the National Association of Farmers  ( Fedeagro ) . In the last 11 years, agricultural production has dramatically dropped  ( 65% in corn, 68% in rice, 95% in sorghum, 62% in sugarcane, 70% of coffee )  and many producers have gone bankrupt as a result of the economic crisis and other factors such as expropriations, price control, or state monopoly of inputs  ( CHE Health 09/2018 ) .
Nutrition: There is no official data available for malnutrition rates in Venezuela, but the prevalence of malnutrition has been increasing due to food shortages and high prices of food, from 3.6% in 2013 to 11.7% in 2017 ( FAO 16/01/2019 ) . Consultations for severe malnutrition in hospitals have increased from 2% to 14%  ( IACHR 09/01/2019 ) .
Protection: According to the Rule of Law Index 2019, Venezuela ranks last in the world, meaning that security forces are not being held accountable for serious human rights violation perpetrated. Venezuela also ranked last between 2014 and 2018  ( World Justice Project 2019, 2018, 2015, 2014 ) .
Education: Access to education has deteriorated as a result of the crisis. As many as 70% of school aged children do not attend school on a regular basis, and at least 15% exhibit significant delays in their education. The reasons for this are multiple, one major barrier to education has been the fact that the Venezuelan government does not comply with its obligation to offer free education. Education establishments mostly stopped receiving state funding, and a lot of teachers stopped receiving their salaries  ( an estimated 40% of the teaching staff has left the country ) . Due to hyperinflation, the costs of schooling have skyrocketed, and the majority of parents have to pay the equivalent of 30 times the minimum monthly salary for their children to attend school. Some school aged students had to leave school and find work in order to support their families, while others are having to take care of their siblings and/or other family members due to migration within the family  ( CHE Education 11/2018 ) .
Humanitarian and operational constraints The Venezuelan government does not recognise the scale of humanitarian needs in Venezuela and has largely refused to accept international humanitarian aid  ( Miami Herald 08/02/2018 ) . The government has restricted the shipping of medical supplies and medicines into Venezuela as well as relief operations inside the country  ( NPR 13/06/2017 ) . In February 2019, Venezuelan authorities blocked the entry of US humanitarian aid, setting up barricades, firing tear gas, and targeting protestors. In addition, Maduro closed the borders with Colombia and Brazil, preventing any aid from entering the country  ( The Conversation 07/03/2019, BBC 20/02/2019 ) . The nature of the political crisis adds to the operational constraints: road blockages are frequent during protests, while blackouts and rationing affect the availability of electricity  ( Reuters 16/03/2018 ) .
Ante las políticas de privación y dependencia alimentaria que se vive en el país, millones de personas se han visto forzadas a adoptar estrategias de sobrevivencia como recurrir a lugares no convencionales donde puedan encontrar alimentos, pedir en la calle, reducir la calidad de las comidas, vender parte de sus bienes, endeudarse para poder comer, desincorporar a uno de los miembros del hogar y emigrar a otros países para conseguir mejor calidad de vida.
Entretanto a la expectativa por lo que pueda pasar en la frontera, permanecen los habitantes de Maicao y del corregimiento de Paraguachón, ante la posible presencia cercana de tropas del Ejército bolivariano. “Todo está en normalidad hasta el momento, gracias a Dios está saliendo y entrando la gente normalmente. Ayer fue un día que me tomé el trabajo de preguntar a las personas que uno conoce si habían muchos militares en la vía y me dijeron que antes por el contrario, las vías estaban despejadas', afirmó Ricci Deluque, presidenta de la Junta de Acción Comunal de Paraguachón.
El IV Boletín del Sistema de Alerta, Monitoreo y Atención en Nutrición  ( SAMAN )  de Cáritas Venezuela respalda la grave situación alimentaria al señalar que en las parroquias pobres de los estados Miranda, Vargas, Zulia y Distrito Capital, 68% de los niños menores de 5 años presenta algún grado de déficit nutricional y 14,5% sufre de desnutrición aguda global  ( DAG ) .
Escasez de medicinas superior al 90%, hiperinflación proyectada en 10.000.000% por el Fondo Monetario Internacional  ( FMI )  y las continuas fallas de bienes básicos se suman al crecimiento de diez puntos porcentuales de la “pobreza multidimensional' entre 2015 y 2018.
Venezuela es el único país en Suramérica en el que aumentó el ratio de mortalidad infantil en esa proporción. Es también el único en el que ocurre tan dramática distorsión en las proyecciones, comparable únicamente con Camboya, o las naciones afectadas durante la disolución de la Unión Soviética, según ejemplificó Freitas.
ACNUR distribuye lámparas solares y bidones, en Venezuela y otros países del mundo, con el objetivo de facilitar protección, asistencia y educación, tanto a los refugiados y personas en necesidad de protección internacional como a las comunidades que los acogen.
El informe obtenido el jueves por la AFP fue presentado esta semana al régimen de Nicolás Maduro, que atribuye la crisis económica de Venezuela a las sanciones de Estados Unidos; y al presidente encargado Juan Guaidó, reconocido por más de medio centenar de países.
“Se estima que 7 millones de personas, o alrededor del 24% de la población total que vive actualmente en el país, tienen necesidades prioritarias urgentes de asistencia y protección', señala el informe de 45 páginas.
Al menos el 22% de los niños menores de cinco años sufren de desnutrición crónica. Enfermedades prevenibles como la tuberculosis, la difteria, el sarampión y la malaria han resurgido y están aumentando, al igual que la hepatitis A, debido a la falta de acceso a agua potable segura.