MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Santiago emergency: schools closed and short on drinking water

Santiago de Chile's mayor Alvaro Erazo criticized on Friday water supplier Aguas Andinas for having left the south side of the city without drinking water following on heavy storms that flooded many of Chile's capital main canals and drainage system.

"I would have expected a far more precise information from Aguas Andinas of the real situation and their contingency plans, which in my opinion have been highly insufficient particularly regarding the emergency supply of drinking water to those communes that have been left with no supply", said mayor Erazo. "Aguas Andinas has only two trucks available to carry water and a company the size of Aguas Andinas should have a far better organized backup for contingencies of this kind" underlined Santiago's mayor. Santiago authorities had to supply for the contingency twelve water tank trucks and 40 water trailers. Aguas Andinas facilities have been left out of action because of the overflow of rainwater and unusually high percentages of sedimentation which "have obstructed some of the sourcing", admitted the company. Meantime education authorities closed down all of metropolitan Santiago's schools until next Monday or until the situation improves given the lack of drinking water in many areas of the city and extensive flooding in populated low areas. Emergency brigades, with the support from Carabineros, using heavy equipment had to be called in to help contain or re-direction some of the worst points of the overflowed drainage system. In similar operations firemen using Zodiac's rescued at least twenty people that had stayed behind in their flooded homes. Further south, in provincial areas the torrential rainfall and flooding have left five people dead and thousands homeless, reports the Santiago press. But in spite of the extensive flooding in Santiago, Chilean Energy minister Marcelo Tokman found a positive side to the situation after months of drought. "Current rainfall means the possibilities of energy rationing this winter have diminished because water reservoirs are rising, but anyhow we must remain on guard", said Tokman during a seminar organized by the country's manufacturing organization, Sofofa. "We still have a 36% hydro deficit in our electricity generation system"