With the onset of the dry season and the potential arrival of El Niño phenomenon, 13 municipalities in Antioquia, Colombia, are expected to be the most affected. Despite some anticipated rainfall in the region due to a tropical wave from Venezuela, the province is entering the driest season of the year. This situation has led authorities to issue a series of recommendations to mitigate the impact of a possible drought on the potable water supply and to prevent an increase in wildfires.
Jaime Enrique Gómez Zapata, director of Dagran (Antioquia’s Disaster Risk Management Department), emphasized the importance of avoiding the discarding of lit cigarette butts, especially in wooded areas, and not leaving bottles or fragments of glass in these places, among other measures.
“First, in this dry season, we must strive to save water and use it wisely; it’s very important. We also need to avoid burning in green areas, and make sure that campfires are completely extinguished when we go out to the rivers,” explains Gómez Zapata.
It’s critical to pay special attention to municipalities like Cáceres, Caucasia, Nechí, El Bagre, and Tarazá, as well as Apartadó, Arboletes, Carepa, Chigorodó, Necoclí, San Juan de Urabá, San Pedro de Urabá, and Turbo, which are most affected during these dry periods.