“Send abundant showers, O God; and refreshed your weary people.”
[Feb.21.2023] South America’s Uruguay, a country with a strong livestock industry, has started ‘wringing a dry towel’ to overcome the unprecedented drought that is taking a toll on the national economy.
According to the Uruguayan daily newspaper El Pais and the Central and South American media Infobar on the 16th (local time), the Luis Lacaye Pou government has decided to cut off water for 3-4 hours a day (up to 8 hours) in five regions; Paisandu (west), Paso de Los Storos (central), San Jose de Mayo and Solimar (southern), and Castillos (southern), including the southeast.
This is one of the measures to overcome the drought, following the “restriction on the use of drinkable water except for drinking purposes.” Uruguay’s government declared an “agricultural emergency” until April and advised not to wash cars or wash sidewalks with drinkable water until further notice.
Fernando Matos, Uruguay’s Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, appealed, saying, “Our country’s fertile soil is extensively deteriorating due to drought. We need rain to take a breath, but so far the rainfall has been insufficient.”
In Uruguay, which is about 1.7 times the size of South Korea (176,000 km2), vast grasslands are generally easy to find. The exact figures are slightly different, but it is known that 85% of the country has pastures.
However, the recent situation is different. The land is becoming so dry that the cattle cannot easily find grass to graze on. According to data released on the website of the Southern South American Drought Information System (SISSA), Uruguay is in a very dry state. In particular, some areas in the northern part of the country were found to be experiencing an “abnormal drought,” the worst of the six levels of drought.
The Uruguay government, which relies heavily on exports in the agricultural and livestock industry, is in the position that the drought is close to a “national disaster.” According to the weather forecast, there is no news of rain for the time being except for some areas, so the situation is getting desperate.
In January, a fire broke out in La Floresta, but it was difficult to extinguish due to dry weather in addition to strong winds. As a last resort, the government decided to utilise pump facilities stored in the warehouse of the National Oil Corporation of Uruguay (ANCAP) to extract even a little more groundwater.
The National Oil Corporation also added that it plans to rent six currently unused tankers so that they can be used for transporting drinking water (Source: Yonhap News).
You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor. (Psalms 68:9-10)
God, may the people of Uruguay, who are in a national disaster stage due to an unprecedented drought, come to You by remembering the Creator who can provide sufficient rain. May this be a time for the Uruguayans to remember Your grace that covered the nation to prosper with the agricultural and livestock industry in the past decades. May the Christians in Uruguay wake up and pray to You in desperate hearts that the Uruguayans will experience Your grace abound.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
