Los Santos farmers fear upcoming water shortage

With Panama’s rainy season fast drawing to a close, farmers in the province of Las Santos are already concerned over the low recovery of surface runways and the future of their herds during the dry season.

Abraham De Gracia, a producer in the Corozal district said there is a big depletion of streams, feeding ponds and streams and springs and their capacity has not reached its potential during the rainy season.
In this coastal region of the province there will not be enough water to supply the hundreds hold hundreds of cattle grazing during the summer, he said.
Edilberto Peralta, representing the town of Santa Ana said: “There is not enough grass and troughs have no stored water required for agricultural activities,” he said.
Tthe Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) announced that in the Los Santos districts Guararé and Las Tablas, and in the villages of El Cedro and Corozal in the Macaracas, district wells will be drilled and reservoirs built.
Rodrigo Vera, regional director of Mida, said that from January next year are scheduled to have a drill and two mechanical backhoes and four dump trucks in the most critical areas, to provide reservoirs for water harvesting.
This year rainfall in the area of Arco Seco little rain has been recorded while ranchers are discarding and selling cattle, their less productive cattle to avoid death from water shortage.
Vera said water flows in the province are very low and there is little grass for lack of rains, so there are producers who are building silos.
Some producers who chose to omit their names, reports La Prensa said that in the province past administrations have “opened holes everywhere” without achieving satisfactory results.