President Sebastián Piñera said Sunday that the drought is a “silent earthquake” that has been affecting the country for 13 years and announced a fund of 100 million pesos ($130 million) to help small farmers affected by the lack of water.
“This extensive drought has meant a deficit of rainfall of between 60% and 80% compared to a normal year and has affected the flows of our rivers, which are close to their historical minimums,” denounced the President from the commune of Colina.
Chile, which is experiencing its worst drought in six decades, is the country with the largest water crisis in the entire Western Hemisphere, according to Greenpeace.
The situation is especially critical in the central area, where thousands of inhabitants receive water daily thanks to tanker trucks and this year record highs were recorded in July that touched 30 degrees in the middle of winter.
After decreeing the agricultural emergency this week in the regions of Coquimbo, Valparaíso, O’Higgins and Maule, Piñera added this Sunday to the capital region, where 8 of the 19 million inhabitants of the country live.
The agricultural sector is key to the Chilean economy: its Mediterranean and semi-arid climate, which ranges from the Atacama Desert to the Biobío in the center-south, makes the country an export power in this area.
“We will continue to strengthen this network of water desalination plants, especially in the regions of Coquimbo and Valparaíso, the most affected by water scarcity and we will continue to take advantage of natural aquifers, injecting them with water in times of abundance,” Piñera announced.
The president pointed out that it is necessary to “become aware that water is life” and called for creating “a solid culture of caring for water as a true treasure.”
Environmental organizations denounce that the Chilean water model, whose origin dates back to the neoliberal economy established during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), has aggravated the drought that the country is experiencing as a result of the climate crisis.
Chile is one of the countries with the highest level of privatization in the world and experts estimate that 80% of the country’s water resources are currently in private hands.
