Montevideo and its metropolitan area are days away from running out of water reserves. The water crisis is also hitting the local industry, with production hindered by the lack of drinking water and the high levels of salinity in the one currently being distributed by the state water company OSE.

According to information obtained by Ámbito.com, the situation of the Frigorífico Canelones meatpacking company, which had to send 700 workers to collect unemployment insurance when it halted production, is only one among many other factories in the metropolitan area.   

According to exclusive statements from Fernando Pache, head of the Uruguay Chamber of Industries (CIU), it’s been more than a week since some companies suspended production lines because they don’t have proper quality water from OSE, or any drinking water wells with the necessary volume. 

The CIU published a poll on contingency plans in factories a month ago, revealing that 69% of companies using OSE water didn’t have an alternative plan in the face of water supply restrictions or service interruption. Of those companies, the poll revealed that 78% would be forced to shut down production if the OSE water supply was affected.

The first publicly resonant case so far Frigorífico Canelones meatpacker, which decided to stop production in late June and send 700 workers to collect unemployment insurance.   

Originally published by Fabián Cardozo on Ambito.com