2022–2023 Uruguay drought
The Arroyo Canelón Grande, the main source of water supply for Montevideo, during the midst of the drought as shown in March 2023 | |
| Date | 2022-2023 (State of agricultural emergency: October 2022 – April 2023) (State of national emergency: 20 June 2023 – 30 August 2023) |
|---|---|
| Location | Argentina (some parts) Uruguay (Montevideo, principally) |
| Type | Water drought |
| Cause | • Lack of precipitation caused by La Niña • Rising temperatures via climate change |
The drought or water crises in Uruguay from 2022 to 2023 has been attributed to the La Niña phenomenon, which was further exacerbated by the effects of climate change, including rising temperatures. The crises resulted in significant impacts on the local economy, and large portions of the population not having access to clean, drinkable water.
While the drought began in 2018, the situation significantly deteriorated in early 2023, affecting more than 60% of Uruguay's territory with extreme or severe drought conditions between October 2022 and February 2023. Precipitation during this period was below average. This prolonged drought led to agricultural losses exceeding $1 billion and complications in the availability of drinking water. By the end of January 2023, before the water crisis in the metropolitan area, the drought had already impacted 75,000 people across five departments in the country's interior.
To address this crisis, the national government declared a state of agricultural emergency in October 2022, extending until the end of April 2023. The drought resulted in reduced access to drinking water and financial losses for agricultural producers. Following a lack of reduction of water usage and a lack of projected rainfall, the national water management authority started using saltwater in municipal water supply for 60% of the population in May 2023. The water had twice the level of salinity recommend by WHO.