Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir
Uruguay, a South American country, is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years, which has had a serious impact on its residents' water use, agriculture, and animal husbandry. Uruguay experiences the most severe drought in 70 years
The freshwater in the capital reservoir has been depleted
![Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/71a34207de928043695aed8d53ce223f.jpg)
Recently, CCTV reporters visited the Paso Severino Reservoir, the most important water supply source in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, for on-site visits.
CCTV reporter Wang Bo: I am currently in a reservoir about an hour and a half drive from the capital of Uruguay. There are two scales used to measure the water level here. The one below is newly added recently. Due to the impact of drought, the water level has been continuously decreasing, and the scale on top is no longer able to measure the water level. Many shellfish that used to live in water have now dried to death.
![Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/cdb967b146c0119985881d8477220834.jpg)
It is understood that 60% of the water used in the Uruguayan capital region comes from the Paso Severino Reservoir, which is fed by the Saint Lucia River. The head of the relevant agency responsible for the national water supply in Uruguay told the CCTV reporter that due to the impact of drought, the local area has suffered from severe water shortage. Currently, the storage capacity of the reservoir is only about 3% of the design capacity, which is about 2 million cubic meters, while the daily water consumption of residents in the capital area is about 500000 cubic meters.
Klimerman, Chairman of the Union of the National Health Engineering Authority of Uruguay: Currently, the fresh water reserves of the reservoir have been depleted. In order to extend the service life, the government has decided to mix the fresh water from the Saint Lucia River with the water from the La Plata River. The Saint Lucia River is the water supply river for the city of Montevideo and is a source of freshwater, while the Laplata River, which is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, is saltwater.
![Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/6a8178843e7c584814558c39b6be8e5b.jpg)
It is precisely this combination of fresh and saline water supply that causes the tap water in residents' homes to become salty. Some doctors are concerned about this situation, believing that it will pose a threat to the physical health of the local people.
Uruguayan cardiologist Alvaro Negmar: Based on our understanding and statistics, if the current situation continues, people will consume an additional 2.3 or 2.4 grams of salt per day from tap water, which will lead to an increase in mortality rates for hypertension, some non communicable diseases, and cardiovascular disease patients within a few months.
![Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/17a9773bba770290b8dc121913bf1b91.jpg)
Uruguay: Water shortage causes significant impact on agriculture and animal husbandry
Recently, CCTV reporters visited Melilla, one of the main apple producing areas in Uruguay, to understand the impact of drought on local fruit farmers.
![Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/8e56f7487e38ecf24971ef70d8fe4eb1.jpg)
Melilla is located in the southern part of Uruguay, where 40% of the country's apples are produced. According to Javier, the head of a local cooperative, the southern region is one of the hardest hit areas in Uruguay by this drought.
CCTV reporter Wang Bo: I am currently in a warehouse in southern Uruguay. Like the apple in my hand, the color is not as red as before and the size is also small. In a normal year, without the impact of drought, it should be as big and red as the one in Javier's hand on my right. Only a very small number of apples this year are like this.
![Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/f6ab56649af565ebc7cb21e106f70eb4.jpg)
JAVIER MARTINEZ, HEAL, AGRICULTURAL COOPER, EUMECAL, URUGUAY: This is a historic drought, it's never been this bad. If it doesn't rain these days, we are likely to lose all our crops. In other words, we won't have any fruit next year either, and the trees won't even sprout, which means that many farming families will suffer.
Agriculture and animal husbandry play an important role in Uruguay's national economy, with traditional products such as meat, wool, and leather accounting for 23% of total exports. Drought has also had a huge impact on these areas.
![Uruguay is experiencing the most severe drought in 70 years! The fresh water in the reservoir is only enough for the residents of the capital to use for 4 days. | Drought | Reservoir](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/d9690eb24fca0481116b82dec6387a2b.jpg)
Pablo Perdomo, head of the Federal Agricultural Cooperative of Uruguay: Compared with the average of previous years, the breeding rate of cattle this year is quite low. The number of new calves born in Uruguay has dropped by 10% this year, the number of cattle we can slaughter will drop in the next two years, and the production of dairy products will also drop.