Since 2020, Paraguay has been going through a drought situation that has worsened over the years, the massive forest fires and the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to a period of economic growth that was increasing positively .
The indigenous population of the place is the one that is most affected because they have overcome a crisis in access to basic services, economic services and the protection of their peoples. Ecosystems have also been seriously compromised, both animals and crops are currently at risk.
The Paraguayan Chaco is going through a very critical period; There are districts that have declared a departmental emergency due to the worrying situation in which they find themselves, as a result of the great drought that is ending all water supplies. Due to this, fires are also beginning to occur that end with what little remains of the forests and green spaces, the rain is more than necessary at this time.
The president of the Regional General Bruguez specialized in low-lying areas of the Chaco, told details of what measures are being taken based on this environmental problem that has been dragging on for some time.
What is the current situation in the chaco?
The situation is sincerely very critical, we are going through a very strong drought, after three years of great floods where up to 500 milliliters of water were accumulated, this year we still did not have significant rains. There are breakwaters in my area, which is approximately at km 200 of Route 12, which are already dry; which forces many producers to look for new fields or sell animals.
Approximately how many municipalities are affected?
Basically, the area of the lower Chaco includes the municipalities of Falcón, General Bruguez and Esteban Martínez, bordering these municipalities or part of them are the towns of Nipa, Fortín Caballero and Rojas Silva, all of them located in the same geographical area.
What are the methods you have been applying to conserve water?
Our way of capturing water is thanks to the tajamares, here we do not have the advantages of some areas, such as Boquerón, which have deep wells with good water flows, we have wells approximately 6 to 9 meters deep , but they are like pockets of water, which once they are consumed too much, they run out and become salinized.
Do they have an aqueduct that helps them in a certain way?
We are far from the aqueduct, this one more to the neighborhoods in the zone of the Central Chaco, we are very far. In this case, some private entities provide us with water and the residents also carry what they can for their consumption and that of their animals.
What measures are the authorities taking regarding this situation?
Regarding the roads, it should be noted that they do not usually repair these routes constantly, although there is a dry one and now it is possible to travel but the corresponding repairs are always lacking, the authorities act very intermittently, there is not a very strong action in terms of regarding the supply of water.
Any message/opinion you would like to give to the authorities?
If any financial institution can present some type of flexibility to help producers who are going through a situation, it would be very good. We ask the authorities, especially the parliamentarians, that it would be very interesting if they could specify the paving of Route 12, it is a long-cherished longing for the residents of the lower Chaco.
