Water shortage in Ecuador

The biggest water crisis in 25 years in Quito after landslide

Hundreds of thousands of residents of the Ecuadorian capital Quito are currently experiencing the biggest water shortage in 25 years, reports CNN. As many as 400,000 people are without drinking water, due to a landslide that damaged several pipes a week ago.

Some residents are so desperate that they are collecting water from a natural spring in a park in the Nueva Aurora district, even though it is not purified and poses health risks. The water crisis is also affecting some professional groups, including bricklayers, who cannot mix their cement with water.

Mayor Pabel Muñoz has promised to take action and the hope is that the crisis will be over by the end of the weekend.

– More than 500 people are working daily to deal with the crisis. 

The shortage hits the elderly hardest: “Can’t bear it”

The water shortage in Ecuador’s capital Quito – the worst in the city in 25 years – is hitting the city’s elderly residents especially hard. In some areas, tanker trucks with water have been mobilized, but according to CNN, there are not enough quantities to supply all residents.

Pensioner Erselinda Guilca says the problem must be solved quickly, and points out that not everyone is in good physical condition.

– We are old and can’t bear to carry heavy water cans anymore.