Long holidays have a major impact on the tourism market, especially by injecting new money into the local economy, in addition to contributing to the creation of jobs. This was the case during Holy Week in the Municipality of Mucajaí, where the Passion of Christ is traditionally performed, a special moment for the economy of that location.
However, in Serra do Tepequém, in the Municipality of Amajari, the main tourist attraction in Roraima, the holiday was marked by an 18-hour power blackout, which began around 10 am on Friday and lasted until 4 am on Saturday morning, causing incalculable damage to the approximately 30 tourist resorts in the area and serious inconvenience for residents and tourists.
The problem was caused by a tree that had been hit by the fires and fell onto the wiring of the region’s electricity supply network, on RR-203. The same situation had occurred days earlier, on March 13, when Tepequém was without power, internet and water for 12 hours. What stands out is the company’s response time to resolve the problem in the shortest possible time.
The blackout also affected the residents of Vila Ametista and Vila do Trairão, where small businesses are the hardest hit, especially those who work with perishable foods, such as butchers. The population, in addition to being incommunicado and without the provision of the most basic essential services, suffers from the heat and the infestation of carapanãs (muriçocas), which prevents the peaceful sleep that every citizen deserves.
In Tepequém, the losses were incalculable. In addition to spoiled food and the common inconvenience of this type of incident, several tourists gave up and asked for a refund for their accommodation. Those who had no alternative but to stay suffered with their children, especially those in arms, and many were left without open shops or options for food. A true chaos with serious repercussions for tourism.
The delay in solving the problem in a short space of time could be easily resolved. The issue is that the energy company does not have a standby team in Amajari, with an equipped truck. Everything depends on sending a team from Boa Vista, further increasing the response time, since to reach the end of the line, as is the case in Tepequém, it takes at least three hours to travel along a poor quality road.
During this holiday blackout, the tree fell at around 10 am on Friday. The team was only called at noon, when they started preparing in Boa Vista, and only arrived at the scene of the incident around 7pm. In other words, it took 19 hours just to arrive. The service was only completed in the early hours of Saturday, when power was restored at around 4 am.
If there were an on-call team at the Amajari headquarters, in Vila Brasil, the response time would be greatly reduced, helping to alleviate losses and inconvenience for residents and tourists. A petition is being signed by residents demanding that there be a team on standby on holidays and weekends, a demand that needs to be monitored by consumer protection agencies.
It is no longer tolerable that the State’s main tourist attraction does not receive due attention from the authorities, such as the constant blackouts and the delay in acting in emergency cases. And that’s not to mention that the problem could repeat itself, as there are many trees affected by the fire that could fall onto the wiring at any time. The authorities need to respond urgently to this serious problem.
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