They begin to ration water in several cities in Bolivia due to the drought

2023-09-08 17:01:05

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — In the midst of an acute drought, especially in the Andean region, which experts attribute to climate change, Bolivian authorities began water rationing in several cities in the country due to the lack of rain.

In Potosí, regarding 410 kilometers south of La Paz, tanker trucks distribute water in the upper neighborhoods due to the low level of the dams, Luisa Huanca, head of Public Relations for the company that is in charge of the project, told The Associated Press on Friday. supply.

“From September 15 it will be throughout the city and there will be water every other day,” he added. The authorities have declared the situation a disaster to accelerate the intervention of the central government.

The drought has forced the suspension of water supply to mining activity in Potosí. “We are going to prioritize human consumption,” said the manager of the company that supplies water, Carlos Chumacero, to Erbol radio.

According to the Vice Ministry of Social Defense, 290 municipalities of the 340 throughout the country are under emergency due to the shortage of water for human consumption and livestock, especially in the highland region and the Andean valleys.

In La Paz there is no rationing but an awareness campaign on the use of water has been started in the face of the threat of levels being reduced as in 2016, when the liquid had to be rationed. Meanwhile, in rural areas where there were crops, the land is dry. Even Titicaca, the largest lake in South America, is suffering a drastic decrease in its waters, which affects thousands of indigenous Aymaras who live from agriculture and fishing in Bolivia and Peru.

Other affected regions in the Andean zone are the cities of Oruro and the towns surrounding Sucre, where there is also water rationing.

“Municipalities have to specify the policy of efficient water use,” mentioned the Vice Minister of Drinking Water, Bernardo Nina Rosso.

Sector authorities fear that the El Niño climate phenomenon—caused by the gradual warming of the Pacific Ocean, which causes intense rainfall and floods alternating with droughts and subsequent forest fires—will be stronger this year. “We are already waiting for a super Niño and we have to take care of the water,” said Eduardo Galindo, Secretary of the Environment of the La Paz mayor’s office.

A large part of Bolivian cities are supplied by the rains that have become scarcer in recent years.

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