Emergency declared in Uruguay as water crisis grows due to drought

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) – A state of emergency has been declared in Uruguay as the water crisis continues to increase due to a drought that has been going on for months.

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou told a press conference that they declared a state of emergency to make “legal processes faster and easier” to mitigate the ongoing water crisis, according to a report by Peoples Dispatch.

Pou said a water reservoir and pipeline network will be built on the San Jose River to provide a new source of drinking water to the capital Montevideo, adding that the project will be completed within 30 days.

According to meteorological officials, the South American country will not see precipitation for the next few weeks.

In recent months, bottled water sales have tripled and prices have increased fivefold in and around the capital city.

Uruguay has been facing a serious water crisis due to seven months of high temperatures and dry conditions.

The water level in the Paso Severino reservoir, which provides fresh water to Montevideo and its surroundings, where 60% of the country's population lives, has dropped to a critical level.

It was reported that only 3.7 million cubic meters of water is left in the Paso Severino Dam, which was built on the Santa Lucia River and can store 67 million cubic meters of water.