SANTIAGO, April 11 – As a punishing, record-breaking drought enters its 13th year, Chile on Monday announced an unprecedented water rationing plan for the capital Santiago, a city of nearly 6 million people.
“A city cannot live without water,” said Claudio Orrego, the governor of the Santiago metropolitan area, in a press conference. “And we are in an unprecedented situation in Santiago’s 491-year history, where we have to adjust to the fact that there is not enough water for everyone who lives here.”
The plan calls for a four-tiered warning system, ranging from green to red, beginning with public service announcements, moving to water pressure limits, and ending with rotating water disruptions of up to 24 hours for about 1.7 million customers.
The warning system is based on the capacity of the Maipo and Mapocho rivers, which provide the capital with most of its water and whose water levels are falling as the drought drags on.
The government estimates that the country’s water availability has fallen by 10% to 37% over the past 30 years and could fall by another 50% by 2060 in northern and central Chile.
The water deficit of the rivers, measured in liters per second, decides whether the water is cut every 12, 6 or 4 days. In any case, a different area would be affected by flooding every day.
“This is the first time in history that Santiago has a water rationing plan due to the severity of climate change,” Orrego said. “It is important that citizens understand that climate change is here to stay. It’s not just global, it’s local.”
Certain areas in the city center would be exempt due to the high concentration of capital cities. Also excluded are areas that are fed by well water or other sources in addition to the two rivers.
Reporting by Natalia Ramos and Alexander Villegas; Editing by Mark Porter