FEB. 6, 2020

Minister Moreno asks major companies to cut water consumption by at least 10% in the face of the severe drought

The Public Works Minister met with managers from companies identified as major water consumers in the Metropolitan Region to jointly address measures to reduce water consumption and contribute to more efficient use of scarce water resources.

Given the severe drought affecting Chile, Public Works Minister Alfredo Moreno met this morning with managers from companies identified as major water consumers in the Metropolitan Region to jointly address measures to reduce water consumption and contribute to more using scarce water resources more efficiently.

“We are facing the worst drought we have ever had; that is the harsh reality that we have to face together. Just as we did with the municipalities, we invited the companies that consume the most water to come today to talk about how we can work together to make better use of water,” explained Minister Alfredo Moreno, referring to the agreement reached with representatives from 11 major companies in Santiago.

The Minister highlighted that “these companies have been cutting their consumption over time, but we have asked for an additional effort in order to cut consumption by another 10%. We have suggested activities in which they can get the message out and influence their suppliers and customers, who together represent a large number of other companies and people that can also make an effort.”

“We have the “Chile se está secando” (Chile is drying up) campaign. Seventeen of the 30 largest consumers of potable water in Santiago are companies and universities. A small reduction by each of them, along with municipal efforts and what each of us is doing at home. No contribution is too small. We can all contribute to using water more responsibly,” added the Public Works Minister.

Last year, 2019, saw the lowest rainfall since records began. The situation forced the government to implement an action plan with emergency, medium- and long-term measures. The main measures include declaring water scarcity zones between the Atacama region in northern Chile and the Maule region in southern Chile and creating two cross-sector working groups. The Public Works Minister also began works on 57 rural potable water systems at a cost of 14.8 billion Chilean pesos. These efforts are in addition to the US$200 million investment in the Reactivation Plan and US$700 million in works by sanitation companies.

Furthermore, the General Water Directorate has increased the oversight of water extraction using advanced technology and increased presence on the ground.

Minister Alfredo Moreno, along with Public Works Undersecretary Cristóbal Leturia and Acting Superintendent of Sanitary Services Jorge Rivas, met this morning in the Casa Piedra area on the bank of the Mapocho river in Santiago with managers from the following companies: Walmart, Compañía de Cervecerías Unidas CCU, Soprole, Unilever, Cencosud, Mall Plaza, Embotelladora Andina, Mall Plaza Vespucio, Embotelladoras Chilenas Unidas S.A, Autopista Central and Clínica Alemana.