A large area of ​​Villa del Parque and Devoto has been without power for days and the residents are fed up: "It is systematic"

"Today I spoke with the real estate agency to appraise my house because I want to leave, I can't stand being like this anymore."

Andy (54) is fed up.

Since he moved to Villa del Parque four years ago, he has suffered

ranging from eight hours to a whole week.

This weekend was no exception: she returned from her vacation on Friday night but had no electricity until Sunday afternoon.

The relaxation of the rest did not last long.

She is one of the many residents of Villa del Parque who have been dealing with

, aggravated by this hellish weekend.

The inhabitants of that neighborhood and of Villa Devoto (also affected) say that

.

To make their claim heard, they interrupt the San Martín train tracks at the height of Cuenca, in the 30 degree sunbeam of this Tuesday.

San Martin and Terrada.

José Pedro Varela y Campana.

Nazarre and Argerich.

Nazca and Melincue.

Nazca and Simbron.

Helguera and Tinogasta.

Cantilo and Marcos Paz.

The West of the City goes on and off.

This weekend, there were spikes in power cuts of up to 60,000 users, a good part of them from Comuna 11.

The interruption of the service even affected the Zubizarreta Hospital, in Devoto, where this Monday there was no care in outpatient clinics, while in critical areas they had to resort to generators from the same health center.

Neighbors of Villa del Parque and Devoto complain about the power outages.

Photo Rolando Andrade Stracuzzi

“Half of Villa del Parque was without power over the weekend since Thursday or Friday, and today a quarter of the neighborhood is still without service.

There are also parts of Devoto affected.

But, more than the particular cases, the problem is that 

.

It is systematic”, laments Nicolás Manieri, president of the Community Board 11.

Manieri himself sent a letter on Tuesday to the Edesur company and the National Electricity Regulatory Entity (ENRE) in which he requests that the measures and works planned to improve the service be reported.

In the text, he highlights that Commune 11 is the one with "the highest percentage of older adults in the entire CABA, being those the proportion of the population with the greatest electrodependency."

He also, he says, made three requests for public information.

What does Edesur say?

From Edesur they indicate that the reason for most of the cuts was the tragic explosion on Saturday in Pedro Morán y Quevedo, in Devoto, where a 76-year-old neighbor died and a 34-year-old operator was seriously injured.

The company also affirms that the blackouts in Villa del Parque respond to a problem in the operation of the

that should be resolved in the next few hours.

However, the lack of supply continues and far exceeds the area affected by the explosion on Saturday, since the cuts started on Thursday.

At some points, the service returned to leave after a short time, with the risk that this implies.

“I spent money putting a voltage regulator on every important appliance and another one in the general box, because I lost a monitor in a cut,” recalls Claudia (54), who lives on Calle Cantilo, in Devoto.

The blackout affects a large area of ​​Devoto and Villa del Parque.

Photo Rolando Andrade Stracuzzi

In other places, there is electricity but not enough to cool the rooms.

“We had a cut on Friday.

Now the light is back but the air is not working, so people come in but leave because you can't be inside the premises,” says Hernán (42) from his shoe store in Villa del Parque.

And he reflects: “Here we adapt to everything.

We are used to being in combat without going to war.”

A few blocks away, in the brand new Del Parque Sustentoutlet shopping mall, generators had to be used so that the businesses could function and the restaurants on the promenade did not have to throw away their supplies.

neighborhood organization

In this helpless postcard, the neighbors manage to highlight the positive: how they organized to give each other a hand.

“There are people who don't even know those affected and have shown great solidarity.

You feel that, faced with the eventuality, at least you are content”, highlights Gabriela (56), who lives near the Plaza Arenales, in Devoto.

She is a member of Vecinos en Red (@vecinosen red_comunal), one of the groups that organized in the midst of the blackouts.

The claim has been going on for years.

Photo Rolando Andrade Stracuzzi

“The cuts have been coming for a long time.

We are not prepared for high consumption in the face of so much construction ”, observes Celina Gutierrez, president of Vecinos en Red, an organization with which she seeks to reinforce the claims and serve as a link with officials.

She is not the first person to mention the

: neighborhood groups and workers from these neighborhoods point out that the new buildings complicate the scenario. 

In this postcard, there are those who resist, like those summoned this afternoon on the train tracks.

And those who directly want to flee, and how to blame them.

Andy summarizes: “Last year I was without electricity for a whole week.

I made the claim and they paid me a bonus for a year.

But that doesn't work for me:

.

If everything continues like this, I will have no choice but to leave ”.

MG

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