Uruguay: extreme measure adopted due to the water deficit that has been dragging on for months

Water shortages caused by drought forced the Uruguayan government to increase the salinity of drinking water.

The measure and the recommendation that people with hypertension drink “bottled water” sparked a controversy between the government and the opposition.

Since the end of April, Uruguayans noticed that the water from their taps was saltier.

At that time, the state-owned company OSE, in charge of water supply in the country, adopted an extreme measure in view of the water deficit that the country has been suffering for months: to increase the salinity level of drinking water in Montevideo and the metropolitan area.

As a result of the scarcity of rainfall and the shortage of fresh water reserves in Paso Severino (in the department of Florida, in the center-south of the country), the agency increased chloride from 450 to 750 milligrams per liter and sodium from 280 to 440 milligrams per liter.

Although the agency had already adopted extraordinary measures in the face of the drought, such as establishing restrictions on its use, the increase in salinity generated concern about its possible effects on people with hypertension.

In fact, the Honorary Commission for Cardiovascular Health of Uruguay warned that salt intake would have an impact on cardiovascular accidents, mainly in “hypertensive, elderly individuals with low potassium intake”.

In fact, in the country almost 37% of the population has high blood pressure and a third of those affected are unaware that they suffer from the disease.

The state company and the Ministry of Public Health admitted that the situation will require “more controls than usual” and, although they assured that it is fit for consumption by the population, they asked to “extreme controls” and “consume bottled water” to people with hypertension and other medical diseases who should restrict their salt intake.

The measure triggered a disagreement between the government and the opposition, which points out that the increase in salinity will force Uruguayans to increase spending on bottled water.

“There are many citizens who cannot afford to buy bottled water,” said Edgardo Ortuño, representative of the opposition Frente Amplio on OSE’s board of directors.

The vice-president of the state-owned company, Susana Montaner, added to the controversy by assuring, in an interview with Del Sol radio station, that “there are many people who can stop buying Coca Cola and buy water”.

For the time being, the company is considering subsidizing those people who suffer from hypertension and have economic difficulties in accessing bottled water.

According to Montaner, the agency in charge of water could determine who is entitled to the benefit, possibly by a “treating physician” who will analyze each patient’s situation.

With information from Sputnik