By Admin 
Chile Megadrought: For more than 15 years, Chile has been struggling with a water crisis called megadrought. This drought, which started around 2010, is now considered to be the longest and most severe in the region in almost 1000 years. Rivers have shrunk and reservoirs have dried up. Let us know how the people here are getting water.
Why did the drought last so long?
Scientists believe that Chile’s long drought is due to a combination of natural climate cycles and human-caused climate change. Weather patterns such as La NiƱa and the cold phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation significantly reduced rainfall. At this time, a large body of persistently warm water in the Pacific Ocean created high-pressure systems that prevented rain clouds from reaching the country. Not only this but global warming increased the problem even more. Rising temperatures have accelerated the melting of Andes glaciers.
How are people getting water?
Communities in northern and coastal Chile have installed some fog nets. These are large mesh nets which are installed in hilly areas. These traps trap moisture from dense fog and transport the water droplets through pipes to the storage tank. A single trap can collect more than 1500 liters of water every day. The 17,000 square meter fog trap can meet the weekly water needs of an entire urban slum.
Also by 2025, the northern city of Antofagasta became the first major Chilean city to rely almost entirely on desalinated seawater for drinking. Today more than 24 such plants are operational across the country. Apart from this, many rural and remote areas still do not have modern infrastructure. Drinking water here comes from trucks. These tankers are run by the government and private contractors.
waste water recycling
Chile has also adopted waste water recycling as part of its Just Water Transition Framework. Water traded from kitchens, bathrooms and sewage plants is used for agriculture and industrial purposes. This reduces the pressure on fresh water reserves.
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