2022-2023 Uruguay drought
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The drought or water crises in Uruguay from 2022 to 2023 has been attributed to the La Niña phenomenon,[1] which was further exacerbated by the effects of climate change, including rising temperatures.[2][3] The crises resulted in significant impacts on the local economy, and large portions of the population not having access to clean, drinkable water.
Date | 2022-2023 (State of agricultural emergency: October 2022 – April 2023) (State of national emergency: 20 June 2023 – 30 August 2023) |
---|---|
Location | Argentina (some parts) Uruguay (Montevideo, principally) |
Type | Water drought |
Cause | • Lack of precipitation caused by La Niña • Rising temperatures via climate change |
While the drought began in 2018,[4] the situation significantly deteriorated in early 2023,[5] affecting more than 60% of Uruguay's territory with extreme or severe drought conditions between October 2022 and February 2023.[6] Precipitation during this period was below average.[7] This prolonged drought led to agricultural losses exceeding $1 billion[8] and complications in the availability of drinking water.[9] By the end of January 2023, before the water crisis in the metropolitan area, the drought had already impacted 75,000 people across five departments in the country's interior.[10][11]
To address this crisis, the national government declared a state of agricultural emergency in October 2022, extending until the end of April 2023.[12][13] The drought resulted in reduced access to drinking water and financial losses for agricultural producers.[14][15][citation needed] Following a lack of reduction of water usage and a lack of projected rainfall, the national water management authority started using saltwater in municipal water supply for 60% of the population in May 2023.[16][17] The water had twice the level of salinity recommend by WHO.[16][17]