Uruguay extends bottled water subsidy in face of water emergency

Statement from the Presidency of Uruguay

This is a machine translation of the original statement issued in Spanish

The Minister of Social Development, Martín Lema, informed that the economic support directed to the vulnerable population will be extended for another month to guarantee the equivalent of the purchase of two liters of bottled water per day, per person. He indicated that the benefit reaches some 540,000 individuals from Montevideo and Canelones and that the investment is 23,000,000 dollars. 36,000,000 liters have already been secured, he added.

In a press conference, held this Tuesday the 25th at the Executive Tower, Lema explained that, due to the ongoing water emergency , it was resolved to extend until September the support assigned to members of households who receive family allowances from the Equity Plan and recipients of the Uruguay Social card, old-age assistance and the lowest pensions and retirements.

Likewise, he specified that this is a preventive measure and that, despite the fact that the values announced by the Government indicate that OSE 's water is safe, it seeks to provide the necessary guarantees in case changes occur, "so that people are in a position to face the circumstances".

He explained that the benefit is made effective through economic reinforcement in transfers, equivalent to 60 liters of water per month, per individual in a situation of vulnerability. In this sense, he reported that there are 36,000,000 liters guaranteed for this population and added that the investment is 23,000,000 dollars if this support and the tax exemption for bottled water are considered.