Eleven Santander municipalities face water rationing as Topocoro reservoir falls below normal level

More than 30,000 people in Málaga, Santander, are going without running water for 12 hours each day as declining flows worsen drought conditions. The municipality provides water from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., leaving families to store enough for bathing, cooking, washing and household cleaning.

Málaga is one of 11 Santander municipalities operating under water restrictions. The others are Barichara, Capitanejo, Rionegro, Cabrera, Oiba, Guadalupe, El Socorro, Barbosa, Vélez and Villanueva. Eduard Sánchez, the department’s risk management director, reported the restrictions.

Officials said the situation could change if weather conditions improve and rain restores local flows. In Málaga, residents are calling for alternatives that could bring the 12-hour rationing to an end.

Forest fires are adding to the pressure across Colombia. Albania and Puente Nacional in Santander remain under orange alert, while Barbosa, Bolívar, Florián, Girón, Sucre, Vélez, Betulia, Guavatá, Gámbita, Jesús María and San Vicente de Chucurí are under yellow alert. Several departments are affected by fires and conditions associated with El Niño. Authorities are using water trucks and aircraft to fight blazes in Tolima.

The Topocoro reservoir also fell below its normal level over the weekend. Authorities said it was eight centimeters below the established mark, a development that worries traders who rely on weekend tourists for their businesses in the area.