Chile, Argentina and Uruguay see heavy rains but water scarcity concerns remain

Heavy rain and strong winds shook Chile, Uruguay and Argentina over the past few days, though all three countries are still at risk of water scarcity as issues regarding infrastructure and water management have not been addressed. 

CHILE

Evacuation notices were sent on Monday morning to settlements near rivers in central-south Biobío and Maule regions, as some had burst their banks as a result of heavy rain that began late Friday and is expected to continue throughout this week.

So far two people have died, while 5,509 are isolated due to damage to roads, mostly in Maule region, and a further 19,800 have been evacuated, disaster prevention and response office Senapred said in a statement. 

The heavy rains also prompted the suspension of several rail services between the Santiago metropolitan and Biobío regions, said state rail firm EFE, which added that some sections of track have been blocked by mudslides. 

Chile also saw floods in June, and allocated 366bn pesos (US$421mn) for reconstruction works that are expected to take up two years in some cases. Those rains also led to severe damage to road infrastructure and bridges. 

Despite the heavy rain, the current winter has been marked by above average temperatures that have put authorities on high alert six months after a series of devastating wild fires. 

And recent precipitation is not expected to offset the rain deficit during the so-called mega drought that has affected Chile for over a decade. 

Given the scenario, there have been calls to invest more heavily in water infrastructure. One of the most recent studies in this respect says that Chile needs to invest around US$95.5bn over the next 30 years in management and infrastructure to achieve water security, otherwise it would risk losses of around US$207bn in the same period due to damage to agriculture, industry and tourism, among other areas. 

That would entail doubling current investments from both the private and public sectors from US$1.8bn (0.56% of GDP) a year to US$3.2bn, according to local consultancy firm AWUA.

ARGENTINA

An alert was issued for Buenos Aires province as a severe storm was expected to hit the region during Monday, right after heavy rains caused flooding in the capital and nearby cities.

According to the provincial government, 1,236 families had to be evacuated, while damage to infrastructure was reported in cities such as La Plata, Berisso, Quilmes and La Matanza.

As for the capital city itself, the subway system suffered delays on some lines, while some streets were blocked and flights had to be suspended, state news agency Télam reported. 

Argentina has experienced its worst drought in six decades in the last few years, causing massive losses for the agriculture sector and the government in terms of tax income from exports.

The Rosario stock market, which declared that the drought ended in March, says the lack of rain caused losses of around US$14.1bn to wheat and soy farmers alone. 

Authorities have been criticized for the lack of coordination between the federal and provincial levels to carry out water infrastructure projects.

In the face of lower tax income, transferences from the federal government to provinces, which often represent over 50% of the latter’s budgets, have dropped this year. This has resulted in local authorities having less room to finance projects, and some infrastructure works have been slowed or halted as construction firms report payment delays.

URUGUAY

Montevideo’s main water reservoir, Paso Severino, went from nearly empty to almost half-full in one week following intense rains, said state water utility OSE.

The rains caused floods in Uruguay’s capital, and a verbal clash between the national government and Montevideo governor Carolina Cosse, who belongs to the opposition Frente Amplio party and is seen as a possible candidate in next year’s presidential elections.

Carolina Murphy, head of the social development ministry’s Montevideo territorial unit, said that Cosse ignored suggestions to improve flood control measures earlier this year, and that the central government is caring for families affected by the bad weather.

Cosse dismissed Murphy’s statements in a press conference and said that she’s satisfied with the work her office has done, which includes cleaning up the city’s drainage system and deploying teams to look after affected families, the website of her office said.

Like in Argentina and Chile, the recent rains do not mean the drought is over, and OSE has not considered lifting the water emergency declaration issued in June to deal with the scarcity, sources from the utility told daily El País.

The emergency provides for subsidies for bottled water and emergency works to build a new reservoir on the San José river.

Uruguay’s water policy has been criticized for its lack of continuity, as the current government dismissed a series of projects drafted by its Frente Amplio-led predecessor and focused on the controversial Neptuno project instead, resulting in no new large works to increase water storage for years.