El Nino: Fewer showers, less laundry in Bogota

La Calera: Residents of Bogota are facing fewer showers, minimal laundry loads and dirty cars as the Colombian capital imposes water rations due to a...

La Calera: Residents of Bogota are facing fewer showers, minimal laundry loads and dirty cars as the Colombian capital imposes water rations due to a severe drought aggravated by the El Nino climate phenomenon.

Bogota has become the latest major city around the world to face a water crisis in recent years due to intense dry spells and President Gustavo Petro vowed Thursday to boost investment to protect the valuable resource.

Some 10 million people in the Colombian capital and surrounds are being impacted by new restrictions that impose 24-hour water cuts every ten days by sector.

"The situation is critical," said Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan.

In the mountainous suburb La Calera in the sprawling Andean city, residents have already suffered occasional cuts since February, often resorting to tanker trucks that wind through the steep streets to deliver drinking water.