Uruguay Drought Forces Government to Subsidize Bottled Water
- Drought has depleted the capital’s drinking water supplies
- State water company OSE using brackish water to boost reserves
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Uruguay’s government is now subsidizing bottled water in the capital Montevideo and neighboring cities as a three-year drought has triggered the South American country’s worst drinking water crisis in at least half a century.
“This is a drought where it rained 60% less than it should have rained in a year,” Uruguay President Luis Lacalle Pou said in recorded comments Thursday, noting water quality could decline further if the drought drags on.