Farmers call for reservoir dredging

Falling water levels in reservoirs in Azuero have prompted farmer to urge the government to dredge the facilities intended to store enough water for crops and animals during the dry season.

The call comes after the level of water storage sites in the area fell by 60% in recent weeks, presenting an adequate condition for cleaning and dredging to increase capacity.

Antonio Gutiérrez, vegetable producer of Las Guabas, district of Los Santos, said that since the construction of two reservoirs in 1976 area sediment has accumulated for several decades, and has reduced the water storage capacity of water to feed the livestock during the summer season.

Tibien Laureano Peralta, of El Corozal, Macaracas, said that the troughs built by the Ministry of Agricultural Development in recent drought plans in that sector have not been cleaned and most are dry.

Gutiérrez and Peralta have  asked the authorities for a plan to clean the reservoirs that guarantee water for March, April and May.the most difficult months of the year,