Uruguayans exasperated by lack of water take to the streets

In Uruguay, the historic drought is causing a serious drinking water crisis. To make the little remaining fresh water last, the government decided to tap into the mouth of the Rio de la Plata where fresh water mixes with salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. The water that comes out of the taps has a strong salt taste and is not recommended for sick people. On Wednesday, Uruguayans took to the streets to demand urgent action from their government.

A demonstration by Uruguayans demanding solutions from the government to the extreme drought that the country is experiencing, May 31, 2023. © Matilde Campodonico / AP

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In this small South American country, the main reservoirs and rivers are dry. In the streets of the capital, Montevideo, several thousand protesters beat empty bottles and cans on the ground.

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For 26 days now, the metropolitan area, the south of the country where 60% of the Uruguayan population lives, has been deprived of drinking water, says Maria Selva, a member of the Friends of the Earth network in Uruguay. We have running water, but with sodium chloride levels higher than the allowed levels. »

Maria Selva points to the government's lack of preparedness in the face of this consequence of global warming: "Due to climate change, we are going through a very important drought moment. But we could have dealt with it in another way. We knew it was coming. And yet nothing has been planned and even today, there is no contingency plan to deal with the crisis we are experiencing. Drought does not explain everything.

The Canelon Grande dam, in Uruguay, at an extremely low level in May 2023. REUTERS - MARIANA GREIF

While it is true that in Uruguay it rained three times less than normal during the year, the lack of investment in infrastructure is responsible for more than 1,500 leaks in the drinking water network. And the solution to the crisis will not fall from the sky anytime soon: meteorologists predict the return of rains at the earliest in July.

>> Read also: Great Report - Drought in Andalusia: the vegetable garden of Europe dehydrated

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Read on on the same topics:

  • Environment
  • Water
  • Uruguay
  • Social issues
  • Climate change
  • Climate