Uruguay bans the use of drinking water for non-essential purposes

The company Obras Sanitarias del Estado (OSE), Uruguay’s water supplier, decided yesterday, Friday, to restrict the use of drinking water for “non-essential” purposes in large part of the country as of tomorrow, Saturday, due to the “drought” situation.

“The shortage of rainfall has exacerbated the situation, causing a continuous decline in reservoirs and watercourses used as a source of supply,” which is why the use of drinking water for non-priority purposes such as irrigation, washing pavements and outdoor patios, washing vehicles by individuals and filling swimming pools will be prohibited, OSE said in a statement.

The president of OSE, Raúl Montero, told the local newspaper “El País” that “until now we have been asking for rational use and now what we are going to say is that “non-essential uses of water” are prohibited.

According to the agency, the measure will be monitored, and non-compliance will expose customers to temporary service suspension.

The restriction will be extended until further notice in the localities of Montevideo and the metropolitan area, where half of the population lives.

It also includes all or part of six of the country’s 19 departments.

Last January, the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries (MGAP) extended for 90 days.

The agricultural emergency decreed in October 2022 due to the lack of rainfall.

This measure was adopted for the third consecutive year, although it affects the entire national territory for the first time in years.

According to a technical report by the MGAP, the lack of rainfall caused “direct impacts” on the agricultural and livestock sector for some 1.175 million dollars.

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