Tension rises in Uruguay as the water level drops

At the Canelón Grande Reservoir, a major source of water for Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, water levels have been so low for so long that grass now covers much of what used to be a lake .

“It’s heartbreaking,” said resident Mario del Pino, standing in the middle of the reservoir, surrounded by weeds and cracked earth.

“The water covered everything you can see.”

The South American country of 3.5 million people is recovering from its worst drought in 74 years, leaving frustrated residents relying on bottled water.

Low rainfall has forced authorities to use water from a saltier part of the Santa Lucia River, which supplies most of Uruguay’s drinking water, making tap water unsafe for many.

“It’s awful. You can’t drink it,” said Professor Adrián Días, who buys two or three 6.5-litre bottles of water every two weeks. “My wife has high blood pressure, so it’s impossible for her to drink this water due to the amount of salt it contains.”

Anger over the water shortage has sparked several protests on the streets of the capital. At the state water utility OSE, graffiti reads “it’s not dry, it’s looting.”

“There is water, but it’s in private hands,” reads a banner hanging outside the OSE.

OSE union leader Federico Kreimerman said agribusiness was partly responsible for Uruguay’s water problems, explaining that water from the Santa Lucia River was diverted into private reservoirs for irrigation.

“The share of water for human consumption is small,” Kreimerman said. “Agribusiness entrepreneurs dam the river and use it for themselves.”

This month, Uruguay’s government declared a water emergency, waiving taxes on bottled water and ordering the construction of a new reservoir.

The government is also distributing clean water to vulnerable groups such as schools, nursing homes and hospitals, said Gerardo Amarilla, undersecretary of Uruguay’s environment ministry.

Source: Terra

Rose

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