Venezuelan Water Bills Soar

VENEZUELA – Water bills in Venezuela are skyrocketing on top of frequent outages, as subsidies from the cash-strapped government to fund basic services have dwindled.

Venezuelans are demanding improvements to these basic services.

Many in Venezuela have been forced to pay large chunks of their salaries for everyday needs including water and electricity, despite regular blackouts and water shut offs.

For years Venezuelans’ utility bills were kept largely frozen as the government was able to rely on oil income to fund subsidies.

Inflation for basic services has come as wages stagnate.

This month, president Nicolas Maduro announced that the monthly minimum wage would not rise from 130 Bolivars, or just over five dollars at the official exchange rate, blaming U.S. sanctions.