Chile unveils plan for water rationing

SANTIAGO, Apr 12 (AFP): Authorities in Chile on Monday announced possible plans to ration water in the capital Santiago due to a drought that has lasted more than a decade.

"We have had 12 years of drought, therefore it's quite likely that we will have this type of situation," said the governor's office in Santiago.

The plan has four stages. The first one, called the "Green Alert," emphasizes water conservation and prioritizes the use of groundwater.

Then come the "Preventive Early Warning" and "Yellow" stages, which stipulate a reduction in water pressure, while actual water rationing is applied only when the "Red Alert" is declared.

If water cuts are applied, they will only be in one sector of the city at a time, and for a maximum of 24 hours, according to the authorities.

The program covers some 142,000 households that are supplied by the Mapocho River, which crosses the city from east to west, and another 1,545,000 that are supplied by the Maipo River, which feeds the communes in the south of the city, home to 7.1 million inhabitants.