2023-07-05 13:10:19
The Government of Uruguay reported that its drinking water reserves are at 1.8% and that they might run out within 10 days, forcing them to resort to the Río de la Plata for supplies, despite the high percentages of salt it contains .
According to the official report, there are 1.1 million cubic centimeters of water in the Paso Severino dam, the main source of fresh water for the metropolitan area, of which 80,000 are used daily.
Former President José “Pepe” Mujica asked “not to blame” and assume responsibility. “Let’s share the responsibility and the way of thinking. We might have done the works on time.”
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Meanwhile, a pharmacist who spoke with Cadena 3 explained that people’s inquiries to take their blood pressure have increased. “People came to take their blood pressure and it was very high and the cause was the water. The doctors had warned that they might not drink water. The Government had not said that the water was mixing it.”
And he added: “Those who are hypertensive their pressure went through the roof. There are no medications to control that.” He also maintained that drug sales did not increase, but consultations did.
This Wednesday, President Luis Lacalle Pou will hold a meeting in Montevideo with the OSE (State Sanitation Works) to define measures. The population remains attentive to a possible announcement.
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Luis Lacalle Pou had already warned that a period was approaching in which the water would not be drinkable, unless it rained enough or the completion of some water works that are being carried out in Paso Belastiquí to bring fresh water from the San José River. to Santa Lucia.
Although this will not solve the situation because the water will continue to contain sodium and chloride, it will at least serve to nourish the flow of water from OSE, the area’s state company, for a period of time.
The works for this work are being carried out according to the expected times, with the arrival of 500 meters of pipes from Brazil and another 500 more that are key to finishing the work.
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The work will allow the entry and exit of water from the Río de la Plata to the Belastiquí-Aguas Corrientes reservoir, as well as the retention of water entering the reservoir, which will serve to maintain the volume and not lose water with the fluctuation of the tides. .
According to the Presidency, the average chloride present in OSE water in Montevideo and its metropolitan area is 845, 837 and 842 mg/l in pumping lines 4, 5 and 6 respectively. The maximum chloride level authorized by the Ministry of Health, following the request for an increase by OSE, is 720 mg/l, therefore all lines exceed the limit.
After declaring a water emergency in the Montevideo metropolitan area, where more than half the population lives, the government announced last month the creation of a Water Emergency Fund to “guarantee citizens with all the necessary resources” to face the drought.
According to the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (Inumet), no rain is forecast for the area in the short term.
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Report by Ariel Rodríguez, special envoy of Cadena 3 to Uruguay.
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