bogota, colombia
CNN
—
A new meme has been widely shared on social media accounts this week as Colombia's capital Bogota faces a water crisis.
It's an image of supervillain C. Montgomery Burns from the animated series “The Simpsons” showing up at your door with a bouquet of red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. he says with a smile: “I saw that your water distribution order was different from mine.”
This meme reflects the dark sense of humor among some people bogotanos This comes after city officials announced Monday that residents will have to ration water as water levels in reservoirs reach record lows due to El Niño-induced drought.
The rationing went into effect Thursday morning. Bogota and dozens of surrounding towns will be divided into nine different zones, with each zone having its water supply cut off 24 hours a day and reset every 10 days. The measure will affect approximately 9 million people.
Millions of people are affected by the country's water crisis
Officials say they have contingency plans in place to ensure continued supplies to schools and hospitals.
But some residents wonder if they'll have to start befriending friends across town to get drinking water, as a meme from “The Simpsons” suggests .
The measures are part of an emergency plan put in place by the Colombian government and the city's mayor after water levels in the reservoir reached “historically low” levels.
Local authorities say the Chuza and San Rafael reservoirs, part of the Chingaza water system that supplies 70% of the city's drinking water, are in a particularly critical situation.
“Let's not waste a single drop of water in Bogotá at this moment,” Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said at a press conference on Monday, adding: “That will help us lift or reduce these restrictions more quickly. Probably,” he added.
Galan called for “behavioral changes that are sustainable in the long term and ensure water sufficiency for all,” with some reservoirs holding less than 20% of the historical average for this period. It added.
It is not uncommon for cities in Latin America to face water crises. Bogota borders Mexico City to the northwest, but climate change, El Niño, geography, and rapid urban development have combined to put enormous strain on water resources, putting Mexico City on the brink of water scarcity. there is a possibility.
However, this is the first time in recent history that Bogotá has been forced to implement water rationing measures.
Located on a mountain plateau, Bogota is one of the world's highest capitals, at more than 2,600 meters (8,500 feet) above sea level. To the east are the peaks of the Andes Mountains, and to the west are the lush valleys winding through the Magdalena, Colombia's largest river and important water source.
Moisture from the rainforest along the Magdalena River rises up the mountain valleys and collides with the cold temperatures at the top, producing rain.
like every time Bogotano As you know, it rains quite often in this city and it relies heavily on rain for its water needs.
“Most cities around the world rely on aquifers for their water supply. Bogota is different in that almost all of its supply comes from surface water, such as reservoirs, which are susceptible to rain patterns. ” said Armando Sarmiento, a professor of ecology at Bogotá's Javeriana University.
Sarmiento told CNN that it is this dependence on rain that makes Bogotá especially vulnerable to drought.
According to local authorities, the city has been experiencing a long dry season since last year due to El Niño.
El Niño is a natural climate pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and influences weather around the world. In Colombia, this has resulted in increased temperatures and decreased precipitation.
In a politically divided country like Colombia, there is rarely agreement on the urgency of dealing with El Niño. In January, the government issued a Natural Disaster Decree to mobilize resources to combat devastating impacts such as wildfires and water stress.
Bogota's water rationing plan has been supported by the country's president, who has historically had a rocky relationship with the mayor.
Colombia's Ombudsman, a civilian authority tasked with protecting civil and human rights, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that a long-term, secure water supply is a fundamental human right, and the Ministry of the Environment issued a hashtag in February. We have started a campaign using #ElNinoNoEsUnJuego. Niño is not a game) and warned Colombians not to underestimate the crisis.
Stress on urban water systems will only increase as heat waves, droughts and other extreme weather events become more common and severe due to global warming, experts warn.
Colombia's Environment Minister Susana Mohamad urged city authorities to develop long-term plans for dwindling water supplies.
“We're at the point where if we don't respect the natural supply cycle of the reservoir, the natural cycle of water, we can't expect the water to go down like it used to,” she told reporters on Monday. She called for the creation of a special commission to limit urban expansion into Bogotá's natural areas.
Ecologist Sarmiento told CNN that while it's difficult to predict how the climate will change over the next few years, cities and countries need to prepare for future crises on a broader scale. he said.
“In moments like this, everyone focuses on personal use, such as limiting shower use,” he said. But he added that the problem is much bigger, especially in Bogotá, which is also one of Colombia's busiest industrial areas.
“We need to rethink our water use as a society.”
CNN's Heather Roe and Anna Melgar contributed reporting.
