In Minas, the capital city of the department of Lavalleja (center-east), there is water for a week and the State Sanitary Works Administration (OSE) is pumping water from lagoons in private properties, while the Santa Lucia river is cut off according to aerial verifications.

In normal situations, 40 percent of the drinking water consumed in Minas is extracted from the Santa Lucia river and the other 60 percent comes from the depleted San Francisco stream.

It is imperative for the OSE to carry out actions in the riverbed, and it is on private land, Environment Minister Robert Bouvier pointed out.

Bouvier, together with Lavalleja Mayor Mario Garcia and OSE President Raul Montero, met with the owners of the fields where the lagoons are located to evaluate the operations they carry out together, their duration and intensity.

With the approval of the owners, it was decided to pump 50 liters per second as a palliative measure, which ensures the supply for one more week, according to press reports.

Among the measures taken, the OSE reduced the water pressure that supplies Minas, in order to reduce losses and consumption.

All eyes are on the sky, but decisions are made on the ground, where the OSE is looking for alternatives.

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