Water rationing in Brazils largest city could come very soon
The southeast state of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s richest and most populous, is experiencing its worst water shortage in some 75 years, as is most of the country’s southeast. SEE ALSO: Brazil set to host smelliest Olympics in history Sao Paulo, Brazil and South America’s largest city, may have to introduce drastic water rationing five days a week if heavy rains dont come soon, according to local water supply company Sabesp. Minas Geraiss governor urged citizens to cut use by 30 percent or thered be mandatory cutoffs. And Rio de Janeiros governor said the state is reviewing ways to reduce companies usage to prioritize drinking water. For months, public officials and utilities have been downplaying the severity of the citys lack of water. Soon, citizens will face water rationing as reservoirs fall to record lows. The Cantareira, which supplies some 6.5 million people, or a third of the capital’s residents, is filled only to 5.1 percent of its capacity. Some 20 million residents will be affected if the level of the Cantareira reservoir that supplies Sao Paulo and the metropolitan area doesn’t rise in the next few weeks, said Paulo Massato, Sabesp’s director, at a press conference. “It would be necessary to have two days with water and five days without” each week, said Massato, saying the measure would only be implemented under “extreme” circumstances, and with the approval of a regulatory agency. Cantareira will run dry in 145 days if the state doesnt get at least 50 percent of the historical average of rainfall, Brazils National Center for Monitoring and Natural-Disaster Alerts said in a report, precipitation in January came in 43 percent below the average. SEE ALSO: Brazils cabinet now has a climate change denier and a chainsaw queen In November, Sabesp resorted to pumping so-called “dead storage,” defined as the volume below the lowest controllable level of water. Already water-pressure reductions mean many neighborhoods are reporting that they havent been getting the drinking supplies they need for several months. Brazil’s rainy season usually runs from November to April, but the rainfall hasn’t been enough to fill the reservoirs.The post Water rationing in Brazil’s largest city could come very soon appeared first on Voxxi.
The southeast state of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s richest and most populous, is experiencing its worst water shortage in some 75 years, as is most of the country’s southeast.
SEE ALSO: Brazil set to host smelliest Olympics in history
Sao Paulo, Brazil and South America’s largest city, may have to introduce drastic water rationing five days a week if heavy rains dont come soon, according to local water supply company Sabesp.
Minas Geraiss governor urged citizens to cut use by 30 percent or thered be mandatory cutoffs. And Rio de Janeiros governor said the state is reviewing ways to reduce companies usage to prioritize drinking water.
For months, public officials and utilities have been downplaying the severity of the citys lack of water. Soon, citizens will face water rationing as reservoirs fall to record lows.
The Cantareira, which supplies some 6.5 million people, or a third of the capital’s residents, is filled only to 5.1 percent of its capacity.
Some 20 million residents will be affected if the level of the Cantareira reservoir that supplies Sao Paulo and the metropolitan area doesn’t rise in the next few weeks, said Paulo Massato, Sabesp’s director, at a press conference.
“It would be necessary to have two days with water and five days without” each week, said Massato, saying the measure would only be implemented under “extreme” circumstances, and with the approval of a regulatory agency.
Cantareira will run dry in 145 days if the state doesnt get at least 50 percent of the historical average of rainfall, Brazils National Center for Monitoring and Natural-Disaster Alerts said in a report, precipitation in January came in 43 percent below the average.
SEE ALSO: Brazils cabinet now has a climate change denier and a chainsaw queen
In November, Sabesp resorted to pumping so-called “dead storage,” defined as the volume below the lowest controllable level of water. Already water-pressure reductions mean many neighborhoods are reporting that they havent been getting the drinking supplies they need for several months.
Brazil’s rainy season usually runs from November to April, but the rainfall hasn’t been enough to fill the reservoirs.
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The post Water rationing in Brazil’s largest city could come very soon appeared first on Voxxi.
