Medellin: Areas of Medellin, Colombia have come under a water rationing scheme as authorities prepare for the potential effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, Medellin Public Utilities Companies (EPM) said in a statement.
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The measure affects nearly 300,000 people and includes daily service interruptions from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 am Water trucks are being deployed during the service outages to assist residents.
In Colombia, El Nino is typically associated with reduced rainfall across several regions. Lower precipitation can lead to declining river flows and reduced water levels in reservoirs used for human consumption and electricity generation.
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While El Nino has not yet been officially declared in Colombia, current weather conditions point to a significant drop in rainfall. The lack of precipitation has had an effect on the Piedras Blancas system, one of the water sources supplying Medellin, which is facing a daily deficit of 10 million liters of water, according to EPM.
According to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), record high temperatures were recorded in 48 municipalities, in 17 departments, in August.
Forecast scenarios indicate that El Nino could persist through the remainder of 2026 and into the first quarter of 2027, a period during which it could intensify and coincide with the first dry season of the year in several regions of the country, EPM said.
