For one Chilean town, rain isn't just weather — it's critical for the economy. And after some much-needed heavy rainfall earlier this summer, residents are experiencing a long-awaited boost after an extended drought.
Torrential rains rejuvenated several dried-up reservoirs, lakes, and lagoons in the Valparaíso area, Reuters reported. They described the emptied Aculeo Lagoon as having been "a symbol of the crisis, as dead cattle and fish carcasses lay on its cracked and dry surface where there had once been a huge body of water."
Now, fortunately, the water has returned.
"The water is alive," Gloria Contreras, manager of a local campsite, told Reuters. "With the drought of the lagoon, many jobs were lost. But now that's changed, everything is reactivated — businesses, even the smallest vendors."
The drought has plagued Chile for years, affecting nearly every aspect of life. In fact, the country ranked No. 16 in the world in 2023 for levels of water stress and insecurity, per the World Population Review.
According to the World Resources Institute: "Living with this level of water stress jeopardizes people's lives, jobs, food, and energy security. Water is central to growing crops and raising livestock, producing electricity, maintaining human health, fostering equitable societies, and meeting the world's climate goals."
Understandably, the newly refilled lakes and reservoirs have Chileans breathing a sigh of relief. "It's been more than 20 years since we saw the lake like this — it's beautiful," Reuters quoted Eduardo Torres, a local resident.
However, Reuters also emphasized that experts viewed this heavy-rainfall period as temporary. "The central zone of Chile needs at least three, four, or five years of normal and intense rainfall to recharge the aquifers fully," said Patricio González, agro-climatologist at the southern University of Talca. "Only then, reservoirs could return to normal levels."
Alex Godoy, director of the Center for Research in Sustainability at Universidad del Desarrollo, wasn't optimistic that these patterns would be happening anytime soon. "The most likely result is no more rainfall," Godoy told Reuters. "We should expect an increase in the drought between now and the next two or three seasons."
No matter where you live, working to conserve water is paramount in an increasingly warm, drought-prone world.
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