Sawt Falasteen - Bogota restricts water as reservoirs hit 'critical' lows

Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan told a press conference that two key reservoirs supplying the city were at their lowest level since the mid-1980s due to a lack of rain attributed to the El Nino climate phenomenon.

He announced cuts from Thursday due to "the critical levels of the reservoirs from which we draw drinking water from Bogota."

The city of eight million people has been divided into nine sectors, which will each go 24 hours without water on an assigned day before the cycle repeats itself.

The goal is to reduce household consumption by 11 percent and the restrictions will last until water levels improve.

"This is a temporary situation and rain will help us alleviate it, but climate change is a reality that we cannot ignore," Galan said.

A drought and weather conditions exacerbated by El Nino saw Colombia start the year with scorching temperatures and hundreds of forest fires, including on mountains overlooking Bogota.

G.AbuOdeh--SF-PST