Low rainfall caused by climate change has turned the vast Lake Peñuelas in central Chile into a desert-like landscape.
Lake Peñuelas is one of the main water sources for the Valparaíso region in central Chile, but the past 12 years of low rainfall, culminating in 2021’s “driest winter” in 2021, have left it dry. .
At a glance, you can see the thousands of skeletons of tilapia and carp, which are common in Peñuelas, covering the bottom of the lake. Some species of birds such as seagulls, storks, vultures and swamp birds can still survive in the small remaining water.
According to the latest report from the Valparaíso Sanitation Company (Esval), Peñuelas’ water volume is now only 170,000 m3, equivalent to 0.2% of its original capacity of 95 million m3.
Lake Peñuelas has dried up due to low rainfall over the past 12 years. Videos: AFP
“In reservoirs like Peñuelas, wet years and dry years follow, but when rainfall is below the 12-year average, the reservoir has no chance to fill again. So, year after year, they lose volume,” James McPhee, Director The Center for Advanced Water Technology (CAPTA), told AFP.
Lake Peñuelas together with Los Aromos provide water for the nearly two million inhabitants of the Valparaíso region, 120 kilometers west of the capital Santiago.
More than 50% of Chile’s autonomous cities, comprising 8.5 million people (47.5% of Chile’s population) and a third of the national territory (231,056 km2), are affected by drought, water scarcity, according to the Directorate of Water (DGA).
Authorities seek to reduce the impact of drought on people’s lives, by permitting the extraction of surface or groundwater, and distributing water by tanker to rural areas where droughts are frequent, severe, and optimizing water consumption in agricultural activities.
“We can’t make more rain or accumulate more snow, so action needs to be taken for better water management,” said Cristián Núñez, an official at the DGA.
According to climate change expert Raúl Cordero at the University of Santiago, Chile’s central and southern regions, along with New Zealand and Madagascar in the Southern Hemisphere, now receive a third less rain than 40 years ago.
“It is very likely that arid winters will become more frequent as a result of global warming,” Cordero warned. “We need more solutions and possible combinations of options, such as seawater desalination, exploration of aquifers in fault rocks, and reuse of residue, wastewater, or gray water for situations (low rainfall) are unlikely to improve in a short time and long-term”.
Doan Duong (Based on AFP)
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