Severe drought threatens water, electricity supply in Colombia

The Colombian government Wednesday issued a red alert for low water levels in two main rivers in the country due to persistent drought.

"I invite all Colombians to act against wastefulness. We must save water and energy during this dry season," President Juan Manuel Santos wrote on his official Twitter account on Wednesday when making the announcement at an event in the central city of Girardot.

Santos said that he made this announcement following the recommendations of the country's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) in an effort to reduce electricity and water consumption.

The Magdalena and Cauca rivers in the country are at their lowest levels since 1973, due to persistent drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon, which has affected 119 municipalities that are already experiencing partial water shortages.

Santos also said that wildfires have engulfed more than 100,000 hectares of land in more than 500 municipalities in recent months.

"More than half of the country's forests are affected by fires," Santos said, while stressing that 98 percent of the fires occurred because of human causes.

Earlier in December, a Colombian court ordered the temporary closing of operations at the El Quimbo dam, the largest hydropower plant in the country, in order to maintain and save water in case of a worse drought.

However, Santos had the court to revise its decision since the closing of the dam could increase blackouts and spook investors.

Colombia has been facing drought since September, which has caused numerous fires and killed many animals, mainly in the central states of Cundinamarca and Boyaca. Endi