Uruguayan Parliament Approves Water Emergency Fund

On Wednesday, the Uruguayan Parliament approved the creation of an "Emergency Water Fund" to address the shortage of drinking water, a situation affecting over two million people in a country that has a population of 3.5 million.

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The proposal involves using approximately US$12 million per month to ensure water supply for over 500,000 people in vulnerable situations. Additionally, around 100,000 senior citizens will receive US$22 per month to guarantee their access to at least two liters of water per day.

In early June, all political parties in the Florida department agreed to request President Luis Lacalle to move forward with the Casupa dam project to increase the supply of drinking water.

The Lacalle administration agreed to expedite the processes for the construction of the Casupa stream dam and consider policies to alleviate water scarcity in the most affected departments.

The tweet reads, "The old bridge of Paso Severino remained under water for 40 years. The effects of the great drought that Uruguay is going through are alarming."

For several weeks, this country has been experiencing a water emergency due to prolonged drought, resulting in a reduction of reservoir reserves at the Paso Severino dam, which supplies drinking water to the population of Montevideo and Canelones, to just 2 percent.

According to the Uruguayan Meteorological Institute, in the last 24 hours, the average accumulated rainfall in the Santa Lucía basin was 16.9 millimeters, while 13.1 millimeters and 13.0 millimeters were recorded at the Paso Severino and Aguas Corrientes dams, respectively.

In addition to water scarcity, Uruguay faces a water quality problem due to the origin of its water sources. However, the Secretary of the Presidency, Alvaro Delgado, assured that the water quality in Montevideo and Canelones remains suitable for human consumption.