Insufficient action to fend off drought - Colombia minister

Municipal governments in Colombia's Cundinamarca department are failing to implement contingency measures to mitigate the effects of drought, said housing minister Luis Felipe Henao (pictured).

In Cundinamarca, 37 municipalities are experiencing water shortages as a result of the drought, which has increased in severity due to the overlap between the El Niño weather phenomenon and Colombia's dry season, which typically occurs between December and January.

Only 27% of municipalities in Cundinamarca have taken action to minimize the risks of drought, while around 89% of municipal governments have not adhered to contingency measures put in place by the national government, Henao was reported as saying in a ministry release.

The government will continue to make tanker trucks available to provide potable water to the population, while the armed forces will also provide five portable water purification systems.

ANALYSIS OF WATER RIGHTS

All matters relating to the concession of water rights are set to be analyzed, as outlined in a resolution from Cundinamarca's regional corporation CAR. A similar measure was taken in Santander department.

Under the resolution, applications for water concessions are frozen, while existing water concessions are to be evaluated and oversight of water processes is being stepped up.

The measures seek to root out illegal connections and inefficient and/or wasteful use of water resources.

In total some 209bn pesos (US$63.9mn) is being invested in 111 projects to optimize and increase water supply in Cundinamarca, while the country's national planning department (DNP) is also contributing funding of 8.5bn pesos for these measures.

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