Chile has announced an unprecedented water supply program for the capital Santiago as the country enters its 13th year of a historic drought. Home to a population of about 6 million, the city of Santiago will implement a four-stage warning system from green to red, followed by public service announcements, followed by water pressure restrictions, and finally a 24-hour circulating water cut. The latter phase could apply to an estimated 1.7 million residents.
The warning system is based on the capacity of the Maipo and Mapocho rivers which supply the capital with plenty of water. Both have experienced water shortages as the ten-year drought continues. “The city cannot survive without water,” Claudio Orrego, governor of Santiago, said in a press conference. “And we are in an unprecedented situation in Santiago’s 491-year history where we must be prepared to provide enough water for everyone living here.”
Chile, which includes some of the world’s most arid deserts in its northern regions, has been experiencing severe drought conditions. Water availability has dropped to 10% -37% over the past 30 years, and is projected to drop dramatically in the next few decades as the effects of climate change worsen, as water availability in northern and central Chile is expected to halve by 2060. ” it is the first time in history that Santiago has a water rating system due to the complexity of climate change, “Orrego said. “It is important for citizens to understand that climate change will last. It is not just earthly, it is local”
Depending on the water level of the two rivers, depletion may begin every four, six, or 12 days in various parts of Santiago. But some districts in the city center will be exempt from the water distribution system due to overcrowding, as well as access to water from other sources. Recent reports from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warn that high temperatures are expected to rise sharply, rising from 50 years to at least once every ten years due to climate change caused by humans. This in turn increases the risk and magnitude of the global drought.
In Chile, the current 13-year drought is undoubtedly the worst in modern history, with scientists claiming that about 25% of its severity is due to climate change. Elsewhere, countries such as Mexico and the western US states have similarly experienced severe drought conditions, and these have been experiencing severe drought for 1,200 years. In the Horn of Africa, the region is currently in the midst of the worst drought since 1981, which has devastated food crops and caused a high mortality rate, threatening 13 million people to starve.
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