Sao Paulo Experiencing Severe Drought Conditions

There are water supply problems in some parts of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous state, due to the record drought affecting the region, state officials said Wednesday.

Water levels at the Cantareira dam, the main reservoir for the Sao Paulo metropolitan area and the source of water for 6.5 million people, are down to an all-time low of 4.5 percent.

A request has been made for access to a secondary reservoir.

Residents drew attention to the impending water crisis weeks ago, but state-owned water company SABESP did not admit for the first time until Wednesday that there were supply “problems” at “some high and distant points.”

The water utility urged residents to “reduce their consumption” to help deal with “the most serious drought in the history” of Sao Paulo.

The water crisis started in early 2014 due to a lack of rain in the region, especially during the Southern Hemisphere summer, and officials expect the situation to improve in November.

Published in Latino Daily News