The Ecuadorian government has called on citizens to conserve energy and water to navigate through the crisis together.

Colombia has stopped electricity exports to its neighbor Ecuador due to a drought fuelled by the El Niño weather phenomenon, leading to decreased hydroelectric reservoir levels in both countries.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, in response to the energy crisis, has declared an emergency in the country’s energy sector.

Speaking in Guayaquil on Tuesday, Noboa acknowledged the critical state of Ecuador’s energy sector. “Today we took a strong decision – once again we had to – which is to declare an emergency in the country’s energy sector.”

Both Colombia and Ecuador rely on hydropower plants to meet the energy needs of their population, but the drought has significantly reduced water levels including in reservoirs used for electricity production.

A minimum flow of water is needed to spin the turbines used to power hydroelectric plants, but Colombia’s reservoirs are only at 29.8 percent of their capacity, leading to water rationing in areas like the capital Bogota.

Colombia’s Mining and Energy Minister Andres Camacho told reporters late on Monday that the country has ceased electricity exports to Ecuador since Easter week to address the impact of the drought.

“Since Easter week, we limited energy exports to Ecuador. Right now, we are not exporting any electricity,” Camacho said.

Camacho’s Ecuadorian counterpart Minister Andrea Arrobo Peña issued her own statement on Monday addressing the “unprecedented situations” facing her country and the region.

She announced there would be power outages and rationing to help address the energy shortages.

Peña attributed the crisis to a combination of factors, including the prolonged drought, rising temperatures, lack of maintenance in the electrical infrastructure, and historically low water levels.

“Therefore, we make a civic call to all Ecuadorians to support efforts to reduce energy consumption during this critical week, considering that every drop of water and every unconsumed kilowatt counts as we face this reality together,” her department said.

On Tuesday, however, President Noboa announced the resignation of Peña, hinting at corruption and potential sabotage in the energy sector.

“We have initiated an investigation for sabotage in certain areas and power plants,” he wrote on social media, promising to apply “the full weight of the law” to any bad actors discovered during the investigation.

Noboa emphasised the need to combat corruption in the energy sector, pointing out that technical solutions exist but lack of execution and corruption have hindered progress in recent years.

Climate change professor Camilo Prieto warned that the current drought, while not as severe as past ones, highlights the vulnerability of countries like Ecuador and Colombia to extreme weather patterns, especially with increasing energy consumption and reliance on hydropower.

Prieto stressed the importance of diversifying the energy mix in both countries to reduce vulnerability to climate-related challenges. He cautioned that continued growth in energy demand coupled with a lack of diversification could leave residents exposed to future extreme weather events.