Global warming and changing weather patterns are affecting the water supply for one of the world’s most important waterways, the Panama Canal, as well as access to drinking water for millions of Panamanians, reports journalist Grace Livingstone from Panama City. The Panama Canal is a great feat of 20th-Century engineering. The canal’s locks act as a kind of elevator, using enormous amounts of water released from artificial lakes at the top of mountains to raise the vessels, explains Mahelis de García, a Panama Canal guide. But as global warming affects weather patterns, operating the canal is becoming an ever greater challenge. According to the Panama Canal authorities, 2019 was the fifth driest year in Panama for 70 years with rainfall down 20% compared to the historic average. As dry years and storms become more common, the canal needs to find fresh sources of water and new ways to store it. Every time a ship goes through the locks, 55m gallons (250m litres) of fresh water is used, and then released into the sea. On average, 37 ships go through the locks every day, using more than 2bn gallons (9bn litres) of fresh water. The vice-president of water projects at the Panama Canal, John Langman, says they are working on finding solutions to ensure the canal does not run out of water. “We understand that the canal is of huge significance to the Panamanian economy.” He explains that in the exceptionally dry year of 2019, the canal authorities had to reduce the amount of water they used to operate the locks, which meant that ships could not carry such heavy cargo because there was less water between the keel of the ship and the bottom of the canal. (The Gabber)
