e cannot afford to waste a single drop of water,” stated Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán during a press conference on Monday, in which the district announced the water rationing measures for the Colombian capital. The city-wide restrictions that go in effect as from Thursday are based on the fact that the Chingaza reservoir that supplies 70% of the capital’s water, has seen its water levels drop to 16%, and lowest percentage since this high Andes reservoir became operational in the mid-1980s.
A prolonged El Niño weather pattern, as well as very dry month of March, has resulted in water rationing for Bogotá’s nine million inhabitants, and which will remain in effect until expected rainfall toward the end of April can replenish the Chingaza reservoir.
The water rationing restrictions will be divided into nine sectors of the capital, with each sector going 24 hours (8:00 am to 8:00 am the following day), without water on an assigned day. Households and business will be able to consult that day in which there will be no running water with a virtual chatbot as from Wednesday. The virtual chatbox “Chatico” will be available on WhatsApp at: +57 (316) 0231524
The objective is to reduce household consumption by 11%. “This is a temporary situation,” highlighted Mayor Galán, “but climate change is a reality that we cannot ignore,” he said. The restrictions also apply to 11 municipalities in the greater Bogotá region that depend on the Chingaza water system. Included in these municipalites are: Funza, Mosquera, Soacha, Chía, Cajicá, Sopó, Gachancipá, and Tocancipá.