(Bloomberg) – Colombian president Gustavo Petro asked Bogota residents to leave the city this weekend to ease pressure on the drought-hit water reservoirs that serve the city.
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“It’s not that people don’t drink water because then we would die,” Petro said Thursday. “But the thing is, we drink it in a different place, where there is no hydrological stress.”
According to the mayor’s office, the main reservoirs supplying Bogota with water fell to 15.3% of total capacity as of April 16. The entire country has been affected by a drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, but the capital has been particularly hard hit.
Average reservoir levels across Colombia have fallen below 29% of total capacity, just above the “critical” level of 27%, which could lead to power outages.
The crisis has the potential to “paralyze” the country, Petro said. Colombia normally gets about two-thirds of its electricity from hydropower.
Read more: Electricity company Colombia warns of outage risks during drought
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Energy Minister Andres Camacho reiterated Thursday that the government is not considering power cuts and is instead taking measures including operating thermal power plants at full capacity and launching awareness campaigns for people to reduce water and electricity use.
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