People in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo are praying for rain in the face of a historic drought that has left the city’s main reservoir with only ten days of water.
Low rainfall and high temperatures in the southern region of South America triggered a severe drought last year that affected crops in neighboring grain producer Argentina and led to heavy agricultural losses.
According to authorities, the water deficit in Uruguay is the worst in 74 years.
It affects supplies to thousands of households and results in poor water quality.
Water levels in the Paso Severino reservoir, which supplies more than half of Uruguay’s 3.5 million inhabitants, are at a “historic low” of about 10% capacity, according to the state water company Obras Sanitarias del Estado (OSE).
According to the latest data, the country has 6.2 million cubic meters of water, far from the average of 60 million per month.
About 650,000 cubic meters are needed daily to supply the capital.
Light rains in recent days “have not changed the outlook,” OSE said, although some showers are predicted for later this week.
Meteorologists affirm that 50 millimeters of rain daily is needed through June for reservoir levels to recover.
Dwindling freshwater reserves in the country’s main reservoir forced the public water utility to mix supplies with water from the mouth of the Río de la Plata River in late April, resulting in unusually high sodium and chloride levels.
Public anger over the water shortage is growing, and street demonstrations are planned in the capital on Wednesday.
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