A GREAT CONCERN

The Paraná, South America’s secondlongest river, “has dropped to its lowest level since the 1940s” wrote the Times

on September 4 and we, los santafesinos, are already witnessing what seems to be a natural disaster.

The river is still running but some of its tributaries are said to be dry. The Laguna Setubal, our most important City highlight, is literally empty. The water volume has shrunk so much that it has laid bare its muddy bottom, which is bone dry in most of its surface. The Laguna is not only a sorry sight, it has deprived fishermen of their livelihood. To top it all off, a local newspaper has broken the news that the low-river level has increased the saline content of the water used by farmers to irrigate Coronda’s strawberry crops, which have been seriously damaged causing great concern in the city that supplies fresh strawberries to the whole country.

We were already aware of what the immediate aftermath of the disaster is but It seems nobody has the crystal ball to predict the far-reaching consequences. In Santa Fe, the insufficient river volume is already taking its toll.

Adrian Insaubralde, Santa Fe