Faced with the possibility of a new storm The girl, and with it a coupled drought, the Ministry of Environment is evaluating the possibility of using underground water reserves starting in the month of September, which is the time when it is estimated that the climatic phenomenon would be present.
The undersecretary of Ministry of the Environment, Gerardo Amarillacommented that the portfolio and other related institutions are waiting for another climate phenomenon to occur again that complicates production and access to water in the region. Uruguay.
“We are monitoring the situation, knowing that after winter there will be a period of lack of precipitation that can transform into water stress and perhaps a drought. You have to be prepared for that,” said the leader.
With this, Amarilla commented that the ministry is updating information on the amount of groundwater reserves found in the country. This way, in the event of a drought, they could draw on existing reserves.
“We have reservations. The idea is to have more information and more research to be able to know how much and how we can use it,” she explained.
The leader recalled the drought who had to cross the Uruguay a year ago and assured that the lesson was learned. “Let’s hope that the drought is not as serious as the one we had a year ago and that was dragged on by a three-year process of rainfall deficit,” he indicated and added: “Having learned the lesson of what we went through, we will be better prepared for what what will come is the objective of Ministry of Environment“.
Crop warning
There is a 49% probability that the La Niña phenomenon will develop between June and August, and a 69% probability between July and September, indicated in its monthly report the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) of the United States National Weather Service.
The full weather pattern of El Niño, La Niña and a neutral phase usually lasts between two and seven years, but this time it is accelerating. Experts have warned that Latin America must be on high alert, as a rapid change could leave populations and crops little time to recover.
“La Niña is likely to affect soybean, barley, wheat and corn production in Latin America, including Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay“, said Sabrin Chowdhuryhead of raw materials BMIdivision of Fitch Solutions.
“The meteorological phenomenon is associated with long-lasting droughts throughout the region of the Americas, which will cause a poor quality of crops and a decrease in yields averages, further aggravating global supply problems,” he stressed.
Last year, some 11 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean were affected by disasters in 2023, most of them climate-related, “resulting in economic losses of more than $20 billion,” it said last week. Paola Albritodirector of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
For its part, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) He highlighted the lack and excess of water as an example. He recalled that an intense drought reduced the level of the Negro River in the Brazilian Amazon to a historic low; “severely” disrupted traffic Panama Canal; and hit northern Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay, which experienced its driest summer in 42 years and suffered a critical water deficit.
