Colombia Drought: Bogota Begins Rationing Water

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Facts

• Authorities in Colombia's capital, Bogotá, began rationing water for its 9M residents on Thursday as a severe drought, intensified by El Niño, has left reservoirs at near-record lows.¹
• The city has been divided into nine zones, each of which will be subjected to water cuts for a 24-hour period on a rotational basis. However, hospitals and schools will have continuous access to water.²
• Water levels in the Chingaza reservoir, which provides 70% of Bogotá's drinking water, have reportedly dropped to less than 17%, the lowest in four decades.³
• The rationing will continue until rainfall, expectedly in late April, which the authorities anticipate can refill the reservoir. Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said Bogotá couldn't 'afford to waste a single drop.'⁴
• Pres. Gustavo Petro, criticizing Colombia's agriculture and construction industries, said he had initiated 'a substantial change' to protect the country's water resources over the next three decades.⁵
• Besides Bogotá, some major cities of the world, including Cape Town, Sao Paulo, and Brasilia, have been facing an acute water crisis in recent years. Climate researchers have suggested that climate change has been an exacerbating factor.⁶

Sources: ¹CNN, ²ThePrint, ³CBS, ⁴The City Paper Bogotá, ⁵BBC News and ⁶Worldcrunch.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Bogotá Post. Bogotá's water supply infrastructure has been plagued by systemic problems and aggravated by the authorities' unresponsiveness. Amid the government's ambitious aims to ensure universal water access by 2030, concerns remain over investment and institutional accountability. This systemic governance problem underscores many Colombians' daily struggles with water access and the urgent need for sustainable solutions.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Nature Conservancy. As Colombia's population increases, urbanizes, and consumes more water daily, its natural water sources face growing threats from agriculture, development, and climate stress. In places like Chingaza National Park, pressures from human activities necessitate conservation efforts. Multiple initiatives are already working on preserving water sources and enhancing governance. Much more needs to be done but progress is being made.

Predictions