The worst drought in Panama threatens the future of the canal

A severe drought in Panama caused a drop in water levels in the cbad, which forced large vessels to limit the amount of cargo so that they could navigate the basin.

"The last five months have been the driest season in the history of the cbad," said Carlos Vargas, vice president of the environment, water and sanitation authority. of the energy of the Cbad.

The cbad – an engineering marvel that ensures a short crossing between the Atlantic and the Pacific – treats about five percent of all maritime commerce, so the slightest disruption of it has an impact on the global economy. And the water level problems on this site could become more and more common.

The body that governs the channel has imposed limits on the boats to lighten their load so that they are more on the surface of the water because otherwise they could fail.

Although the dry season is over and the rains have resumed, Vargas said some cbad restrictions would be maintained during the summer. These limitations may become more common if climate change provokes more extreme storms or longer dry spells, as scientists predict.

The drought is linked to the El Niño phenomenon, which began earlier this year and is expected to continue until the autumn. With El Niño, the warmest surface waters meet in the equatorial Pacific and affect the weather in many parts of the world, including the amount of rainfall that falls in Central America.

According to Robert Stallard, hydrologist of the United States Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, four of the most intense storms and several of the most severe droughts since the opening of the cbad 105 years ago that studies the problems of the water for decades.

"We will have to plan cases with more extreme future climates," Stallard said.

The cbad authorities imposed these restrictions in February, when the drought hit and the levels of the two lakes that feed the cbad began to decline. The limitations concerned only large vessels using the new locks inaugurated in 2016. On average, seven ships use these locks per day.

The Cbad Authority warns of restrictions well in advance so that freight managers can calculate how much weight they can give their boats to cross the 75 km channel. Otherwise, the excess weight must be downloaded to Panama.

Since the announcement was made in February, the maximum for the draft has been reduced five times. For May 28, it will be 43 feet, 7 feet (almost two meters) less than usual.

Vargas said that from that date, small boats using the previous locks will also be concerned: the maximum allowable draft will increase from 39.5 feet to 38.5 feet. Some twenty-five ships use the so-called centennial locks daily.

Since channel usage charges are partially royalty-based, the imposition of these limits has cost the Cbad Authority about $ 15 million, a comparatively small amount of revenue compared to revenue. more than $ 2 billion a year.

Vargas said the restrictions would be lifted gradually, possibly from June. He added that in mid-September, even larger ships could use the cbad without having to reduce their cargoes.

Project restrictions have already been imposed in other years in recent El Niño seasons, and some have resulted in higher monetary losses. Stallard, of the US Geological Survey, said that the impact of this year's drought was not so much in part because there was a lot of rain last fall.

Water management has always been an essential part of cbad operations, but this became even more important when large locks were built in the extension. Whenever a ship goes through the cbad, about 50 million gallons or 190 million liters of fresh water are lost in the oceans.

This water comes from two artificial lakes, Gatún – crossed by the boats forming part of the cbad – and Alajuela. The lakes also provide water to much of Panama's population.

Cbad operators try to store enough water in the rainy season to be able to operate during the dry season. This year has shown that it is not always possible. Storing water is a priority even in normal years. For example, the new locks are equipped with cameras to retain some of the water used each time a boat pbades through the cbad.

But the rainy season also presents several challenges. In December 2010, torrential rain caused overflowing lakes; the resulting floods forced the cbad to close for a day. If there is too much water in the system, locks and other infrastructure can also be damaged.

Vargas said the Cbad Authority had a team of meteorologists, scientists and engineers who planned how to deal with extreme events, and that their skills would be increasingly used as and when climate change.

On the long term challenges for the chain, Vargas said the solution is to have more water. "We do not doubt the need to build more dams," he said. "We believe that they are the most effective way to mitigate climate change."

But adding new tanks would be costly and time consuming. There is no more water available in the Chagres River Basin, which feeds the lakes of Gatun and Alajuela. To have new water, it would be necessary to use basins further away from the cbad, for which tunnels and dikes should be constructed.

Copyright: 2019 New York Times News Service