Panama Canal expects to be ready for next drought

27/8/2024 6:18

        The Panama Canal expects to be ready
        to combat a possible new drought, which could hit the world's
        second-largest waterway within four years, by accommodating
        larger vessels, securing dedicated passage for some ships and
        expanding its water reservoirs' capacity, its chief, Ricaurte
        Vasquez, said on Monday.
        
        The canal authority has announced a return to 36 vessel
        transits per day and a maximum draft of 50 feet (15 metres) for
        vessels to pass, considered normal standards for this time of
        the year, at the end of a fiscal year hit by severe drought.
        
        "The frequency (of droughts) is faster now than it has been
        in the past," Vasquez said, adding that the canal remains
        rainfall-dependent.
        
        Vasquez said within the next four years, Panama is likely to
        see another severe drought, factoring in rain patterns and the
        frequency of weather phenomena El Niño and La Niña.
        
        The canal uses fresh water from rain-fed lakes to operate
        its locks, which separate the salt waters of the Atlantic and
        Pacific oceans.