Concern grows day by day in Uruguay for a strong drought that destroys crops and dries up water reservoirs destined for the cities, verified journalists from the AFP.
The Canelón Grande reservoir, located some 61 km north of Montevideo in the department of Canelones, has dried up to the point where cracks can be seen in the land that was once covered by water.
(Also: Why is Argentina experiencing the most intense heat wave in its history?)
The greatest loss to agriculture and the national economy
in the last 30 years”
This reservoir was originally intended for irrigation and was also used to supply one of the main drinking water distribution infrastructures of the country, known as Aguas Corrientes, which serves the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area.
Uruguay, a country of almost 3.5 million inhabitants, has more than half of its population concentrated in that urban and suburban area.
(Also: The harsh winter without rain that is drying Europe / Mauricio Vargas)
In February, the government issued a ban on the use of drinking water for non-priority purposes such as watering ornamental gardens or washing vehicles.
Julian Rios Monroy. TIME
The deputy general secretary of the state water agency, OSE, Juan Martín Jorge, explained to AFP that in terms of drinking water the country is going through “a critical situation, but under control,” thanks to the use of alternative reservoirs and tanker trucks that solve the shortage throughout the country.
(Read: Johnson’s Explosive Revelation: He Admits He Misled The Brits, What Did He Say?)
Uruguay even has the possibility of using the water from the Río de la Plata and making it drinkable. “The water cut is not planned,” Jorge emphasized.
#Shocking 😨 THE WATER DISAPPEARED! 💧
The severe drought in Uruguay caused one of the largest reservoirs in the South American country to run out of water, affecting dozens of farmers and causing the massive death of fish.
find out in #ND 📰 and #NDPlay 📱
📷 Social media/AFP pic.twitter.com/MxbDsJPvlI– Our Diary (@OurDiary) March 18, 2023
In any case, since the beginning of February, the government issued a ban on the use of drinking water for non-priority purposes such as irrigation of ornamental gardens or washing vehicles.
In the agricultural sector the situation is extremely serious. Is “the greatest loss of agriculture and the national economy in the last 30 years”said the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos, quoted on Monday by the newspaper El Observador.
(We recommend: Debunking myths about the end of the planet due to overpopulation)
In Uruguay, an agricultural country par excellence, many crops that are usually used to obtain grains have failed and are being grazed (eaten) by cattle or, in the best of cases, stored in silos as food for a winter that promises to be difficult due to the scarcity of pastures.
INTERNATIONAL WRITINGWith information from AFP
#Lack #water #destroyed #crops #drought #threatens #countryside #Uruguay