The indigenous village of Galibi in Suriname’s Marowijne district has descended into a severe humanitarian crisis, enduring over two weeks without electricity and running water despite the recent completion of a solar energy project. Village Captain Ricardo Pané describes the situation as catastrophic, with daily life completely paralyzed.
The power outage has triggered a chain reaction of problems: perishable food in refrigerators and freezers is spoiling, causing significant financial losses for households. Residents have been forced to rely on rainwater collection, while some families resort to using well water for cooking. Captain Pané emphasized the inequality in access, noting that not every household has a well, and many cannot afford frequent trips to Albina to purchase drinking water and ice.
This crisis forced the community to endure the recent holiday season without basic utilities. Technical teams from the Ministry of Natural Resources have attempted twice to repair a defective generator, but both efforts proved unsuccessful. The electrical failure has simultaneously crippled the water supply system, leading to school closures and severely limited operations at government offices and health services.
The situation is particularly frustrating given that PowerChina completed a solar panel project in November, which included a successful 72-hour trial operation. Captain Pané expressed bewilderment at the continued attempts to fix the old generator when a functional alternative exists. Additionally, the water installation has been malfunctioning for an extended period, with collaborative efforts underway with Total Energy to acquire a larger compressor to restore water pumping capabilities.
“The government is fully aware of this emergency,” Pané stated. “Why must it reach this breaking point? We have urgently contacted both the district commissioner and the minister, and now await their response. This cannot continue—households are completely immobilized. Sanitation, laundry, everything has stopped. This is nothing short of a disaster.”