‘I’m switched off’: frustration and fatigue as power cuts keep Ecuador in the dark

Facing a severe drought and reliant on hydropower, the country is enduring relentless blackouts. But experts say opportunities have been missed to adapt and diversifyIt’s 6.30pm in Quito, and Anamary Mazorra Vázquez’s flat has fallen into darkness after weeks of government-mandated power cuts to manage Ecuador’s electricity crisis. She puts clothes away by the light of her phone while her husband, Roberto Vaca, seated on the bed by the window, uses the streetlights to he