2022–2023 Uruguay drought
The Canelón Grande Reservoir, one of the main water supplies for Montevideo ran completely dry in March 2023. | |
| Date | 2022-2023 (State of agricultural emergency: October 2022 – April 2023) (State of national emergency: 20 June 2023 – 30 August 2023) |
|---|---|
| Location | Uruguay |
| Type | Water drought |
| Cause | • Lack of precipitation caused by La Niña • Rising temperatures via climate change |
The drought or water crisis in Uruguay from 2022 to 2023 was an event of abnormally low rainfall attributed to the La Niña phenomenon, which had major effects in Uruguayan economy and water supply.
The peak of the crisis occurred during the winter of 2023, when the reservoirs that supplied drinking water to the Montevideo metropolitan area ran almost completely dry. The Santa Lucía River, which supplies drinking water to almosts 2/3 of the Uruguayan population, reduced its volume significantly allowing brackish water to flow upstream and reach the water treatment plant of Aguas Corrientes, this caused major disruptions when such brackish water had to be distributed to the cities. The Uruguayan government then began notifying daily about the sodium and chloride concentrations measured in the water supply and the volume of water left in storage at the Paso Severino Reservoir.
The water shortage resulted in significant impacts on the local economy, and large portions of the population not having direct access to drinkable water.
While the drought began in 2018, the situation significantly deteriorated in early 2023, affecting more than 60% of Uruguay's territory with extreme or severe drought conditions between October 2022 and February 2023. Precipitation during this period was below average. This prolonged drought led to agricultural losses exceeding $1 billion and complications in the availability of drinking water. 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.
To address this crisis, the national government declared a state of agricultural emergency in October 2022, extending until the end of April 2023. The drought resulted in reduced access to drinking water and financial losses for agricultural producers. Following a lack of reduction of water usage and a lack of projected rainfall, the national water management authority started using brackish water in municipal water supply for 60% of the population in May 2023. The water had twice the level of salinity recommend by WHO.