Bogotá will introduce revised water rationing measures starting in July announced Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán on Wednesday, in response to water shortages exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon.
The Colombian capital will see a new schedule where water restrictions will be implemented every other day. On the first day of the cycle, rationing will affect Zone 1; the second day will see no rationing; on the third day, the restriction will apply to Zone 2, continuing in this pattern through all nine zones of the city. This new schedule means that each zone will experience water cuts less frequently, with restrictions recurring every 18 days instead of every nine days.
Additionally, the city will maintain measures to discourage excessive water consumption. Households that exceed 22 cubic meters of water usage per month will incur fines. These penalties, introduced in April, began to impact billing in June, reflecting the city’s efforts to curb overuse during the water crisis.
Mayor Galán explained that the Chingaza reservoir, a key water source for Bogotá, began to deplete in August 2023, two months earlier than usual due to El Niño. The early depletion prompted the city to enforce rationing measures to manage the dwindling water supply. On Wednesday, the combined water levels within the Chingaza reservoir system stood at 41%.
“Since the onset of these restrictions, the Chingaza system has accumulated 14.28 million cubic meters of water,” Galán said. “This positive balance has allowed us to navigate the current crisis and prepare for future challenges, including those anticipated in 2025.”
Galán urged residents to recall that when the rationing measures were first introduced, the system’s water level was at 16%, dropping to 14.9% the following week. Despite recent improvements, water levels in June 2024 remain approximately 50,000 cubic meters below the average between 2012 and 2022, highlighting the severity of the water resource issue in the capital.
“You can see a recovery in the Chuza reservoir, and it is even more evident in the San Rafael reservoir, which is closer to Bogotá,” noted Natasha Avendaño, director of the Bogotá Water and Sewerage Company (Eaab). “However, we are still far from being completely at ease.”
Avendaño also reported that the Northern system, comprising the Neusa, Sisga, and Tominé reservoirs (collectively known as Tibitoc), has doubled its water supply to Bogotá. Currently, Tibitoc supplies 50% of the city’s water, up from 25% before the crisis, with the Chingaza system providing 45% and the Southern system 5%.
“This redistribution has reduced the pressure on Chingaza and aligns with our announced decisions,” Avendaño said.
In April 2024, Mayor Galán acknowledged that water rationing alone would not suffice to address the crisis, indicating that securing a reliable water supply would pose additional challenges. Since then, Bogotá has gradually shifted its primary water source to the Tibitoc system. However, diversifying the city’s water sources comes at a higher cost, as treating water from these reservoirs is more expensive.
The new measures enforce the city’s ongoing efforts to manage its water resources after a prolonged drought and start of the rainy season. Residents are therefore encouraged to continue conserving water as Bogotá adapts its infrastructure and policies to ensure a sustainable water supply for its future.
