 "Save every drop: Why Colombia’s capital Bogota is rationing water")
The Colombian capital Bogota is facing a severe water shortage, leading to millions of residents being forced to ration the precious resource. This comes as the main water reservoirs in the city have dropped to critically low levels.
An acute drought made worse by the El Niño climate phenomenon, which typically causes high global temperatures and delays precipitation, has left reservoirs at “critical levels,” according to Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán.
Here’s what is going on.
Bogota begins water rationing
On Thursday (11 April), Bogota implemented water rationing measures under which officials have divided the city and dozens of surrounding towns into nine different zones, as per a CNN report.
Water services will be switched off for 24 hours in each zone on a rotational basis that will reset every 10 days, the report added.
About nine million (90 lakh) residents will be affected by this plan. Hospitals and schools are exempt from water rationing, reported BBC.
Authorities will evaluate the situation every two weeks.
“Let’s not waste a drop of water in Bogota at this time,” Mayor Galan said in a press conference earlier in the week.
“That will help us so that these restrictions can be lifted more quickly or reduced,” he was quoted as saying by BBC.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPeople in the capital have started reducing their water usage. “There are things we can no longer do, like washing the car,” Clara Escobar, a resident in Bogota’s suburbs, told AFP news agency.
Bogota’s water crisis
The water rationing measures are part of emergency plans brought by the Colombian government and Bogota’s mayor after several reservoirs plunged to “historically low” levels.
Colombia’s reservoirs have dried up owing to a lack of rain and extreme temperatures.
The Chuza and San Rafael reservoirs, part of the Chingaza System that provides 70 per cent of Bogota’s water, are at unprecedented lows.
The Chuza reservoir is at less than 17 per cent capacity, its lowest level since at least the early 1980s, as per the city’s mayor.
Galan said that the aerial footage of the San Rafael and Chuza reservoirs “shows, once again, that the situation is critical and we must make all necessary efforts to reduce water consumption,” Storyful reported.
“The critical levels of the reservoirs from which we draw drinking water for Bogota lead us to take measures aimed at saving water and reducing consumption from 17 cubic meters per second to 15,” the mayor said in a post on X.
“This must be the beginning of a behavioural change that is sustainable over time and guarantees that water is enough for everyone,” he added.
With its rationing measure, the city reportedly aims to save 2,000 liters of water per second.
It is not rare for cities in Latin America to reel from water crises. Mexico City and Uruguay’s capital Montevideo have also witnessed water shortages in recent years.
The El Niño effect
Bogota sits on a mountain plateau at 2,600 meters (8,500 feet) above sea level. The city depends heavily on rain for its water needs.
“Most cities around the world depend on aquifers for their water supplies. Bogota is different in that almost all our supply comes from surface waters like reservoirs, which are more susceptible to rain patterns,” Armando Sarmiento, an ecology professor at Bogota’s Javeriana University, told CNN.
According to Sarmiento, this reliance on rain makes Colombia ’s capital particularly susceptible to drought.
Local authorities say Bogota, which is one of the busiest industrial areas of Colombia, has experienced long dry spells owing to the impact of El Niño since last year, reported CNN.
It has triggered a fall in rainfall and unusual heat in Colombia.
In February, the environment ministry had warned the citizens about the adverse effects of the natural climate pattern through a campaign with the hashtag #ElNinoNoEsUnJuego (El Niño is not a game).
As per Bloomberg, a lack of rain has also fuelled fears of power cuts as Colombia gets about two-thirds of its electricity from hydropower.
‘Prepare for future crises’
Colombian president Gustavo Petro wrote on X on Thursday that he had ordered “a substantial change” to shield water resources over the next three decades.
Warning against “unhindered urbanisation”, he denounced the “pillaging” of natural aquifers by the agriculture and construction industries, according to BBC.
In January, Petro issued a natural disaster decree that let the government access additional resources to tackle the damaging effects of El Niño such as wildfires and water stress, reported CNN.
Speaking to CNN, ecologist Sarmiento said Colombia and its capital need to be prepared for future crises at a much bigger scale.
With inputs from agencies
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