The situation is getting worse: Only 5.6% of the Paso Severino water reserve remains

2023-06-15 19:54:27

The old bridge of Paso Severino is usually under water. It has not emerged for more than 35 decades. Photo: Twitter

The water deficit crisis in Uruguay is worsening, and the situation does not seem to improve in the short term. With no rain on the horizon, the Paso Severino dam, the main freshwater reserve for the metropolitan area of ​​Montevideo and Canelones, barely has 5.6% of its capacity.

The last report of ORbased on data collected through Wednesday June 14th, reveals a tremendous reality. Reservoirs in the reservoir, which under normal conditions should be an abundant source of water, have been reduced to mere 3.790.000 m³.

This alarming figure represents only a negligible fraction of the 67,000,000 m³ total capacity of the reservoir.

The seriousness of this situation cannot be underestimated, as OSE warns in its report published this Thursday the 15th. Water scarcity has become a latent threat, looming over the region of Uruguay and part of Argentina with relentless persistence.

“The drought that affects the national territory due to the low rainfall that has been recorded, has been causing a continuous decrease in the reservoirs and water courses that are used as a source of supply to the population. In this context, the OSE board of directors resolved to prohibit the use of drinking water for non-priority purposes”, the statement recalls.