Bolivia: La Paz has guaranteed water for only 3 months due to lack of rain

The city of La Paz, seat of the Bolivian Government, has drinking water for three more months, in case the lack of rain persists due to the drop in the reserves of the vital liquid in the west of the country, reported the Vice Minister of Water, Carmelo Valda.

“We have stored more than 28 million cubic meters of water in 10 dams, each month La Paz consumes approximately 7.2 million cubic meters… Water is guaranteed for three more months if it doesn’t rain,” explained Carmelo Valda in Contact the local press.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Bolivia

The water reserves in the department of La Paz were reduced by 50% and it is feared that the shortage of the vital liquid will continue. The meteorological authorities reported that the rainy season will only arrive in December in the country.

The cities of the central axis of Bolivia, Cochabamba, La Paz and Santa Cruz, consume 235,000 cubic meters per day of drinking water, on average, but currently they registered record figures reaching 250,000 cubic meters per day due to the heat wave that reaches up to 38ºC.

Bolivian cities depend on rain, snowmelt melting and groundwater to supply drinking water, which is previously treated in cooperatives that provide public service.

12.9% of the Bolivian population is still without access to drinking water, while the Government expects to reach 100% only in 2025.

Bolivia has approximately 11.6 million inhabitants and water coverage reaches 87.1% of the population, according to data from the Vice Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, to the year 2021.

With information from Sputnik

More: Bolivia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.