Low water levels in Colombian reservoirs due to drought

The mayor of Colombia's capital, Bogota, announced water restrictions on Monday as reservoir in the sprawling Andean city reached "critical" levels. Mayor Galan stated at 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 declared cuts starting from Thursday due to "the critical levels of the reservoirs from which draw drinking water for Bogota." The restrictions will also be enforced in 11 municipalities near the capital, affecting at least 9 million people.

The El Nino phenomenon arrived in Colombia at the end of 2023, causing high temperatures and droughts that resulted in forest fires across the Andean country and pushed reservoir levels to their lowest in decades.