The problem with reservations drinking water in the metropolitan area of Montevideo remains “very critical”, acknowledged State Sanitary Works (OSE)which estimates that their availability will run out in 20 days if it does not rain.
“The rains recorded on May 26 allowed the reserves to be extended for a week. Likewise, the situation remains very critical“, indicated the report of the state company.
The reservoir of Severine Passthe main freshwater reservoir for the area, has 4,660,000 cubic meters of a total capacity of 67,000,000 cubic meters, according to the latest official balance as of May 31.
It is because of that Ignatius Lawrencefrom the Department of Environmental Development of the Municipality of Montevideo, pointed out that, in the absence of rainfall in the capital region, “there would be reserves for 20 more days.”
The historic drought that has affected Uruguay for more than three years has threatened, for weeks, the supply of drinking water in and around Montevideo, where 1.8 million people live, more than half of the country’s total population, reported the AFP agency.
The drama of salt water in Montevideo
Since late April, OSE has been mixing fresh water from Paso Severino with water from sources near the Silver rivermore brackish because it comes from the estuary.
This Thursday, the water of the metropolitan area presented slightly higher sodium and chloride levels to the maximum limits set in May by the health authorities, which are already higher than current regulations.
The Vice Minister of the Environment, Gerardo Amarilloexpressed that the government does not rule out appealing to the groundwater reserves to guarantee supply.
Yesterday hundreds of people participated in a march, in the center of Montevideo, called by the national trade union center PIT-CNT under the slogan “In defense of water”.
“Here the measures were improvised. All we need is to do a rain dance waiting for it to rain. And that can’t be,” said Ernesto Spaizman, 48, a member of the union of civil servants of the University of the Republic (Udelar).
“The global climate crisis that we are experiencing is the product of a production model carried out by neocapitalist governments,” said Paula Padilla, a 36-year-old teacher, who also criticized the “salt water” that comes out of the tap in Montevideo and the cost What it means for a low- or middle-income family to buy mineral water is not viable for everyone,” he concluded.
Source: Ambito
