In recent weeks, the weather has been offering both sides of the power of water. While leaving impressive and devastating floods in central and northern Europe, with its epicenter in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, or in eastern China; On the American continent, specifically on the Argentine coast, there is an impressive and historical drought of the Paraná River, causing many millionaire losses in the economy of the Coast and threatening the provision of drinking water.
Faced with this critical situation, the Argentine government decreed this Monday a “water emergency” in seven provinces due to the historic drop in the water level of the Paraná River and ordered a series of measures to assist those affected.
Water crisis
The decrease in water flow, the largest in the last 77 years, has eventual effects on supply, navigation, port operations, hydroelectric power generation and economic activities related to the exploitation of the basin made up of the Paraná River and its tributaries Paraguay and Iguazú.
The Paraná River is the main outlet for exports of grains and derivatives from Argentina and important populations depend on it for their drinking water supply. “The extraordinary magnitude of the events requires that all areas of the national government join forces to mitigate this hydrological phenomenon in the areas affected by the damage,” argued the Argentine Executive.
The emergency, declared for 180 days, reaches riparian sectors of the Paraná, Paraguay and Iguazú rivers in the provinces of Formosa, Chaco, Corrientes, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Misiones and Buenos Aires. The decree urges the Ministries of Productive Development and Labor to adopt measures to preserve the continuity of productive activity and the preservation of jobs in the affected sectors.
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It also provides that the tax authority assist, with certain measures, those taxpayers with productive establishments affected by the emergency and determines that the Ministry of Public Works must carry out the necessary infrastructure works to mitigate the effects of the emergency in the affected areas.
The decrease in the waters of the Paraná River is the worst since 1944, with the probability of overcoming that historical emergency since a noticeable improvement is not expected in the coming months, according to a report from the National Water Institute.
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