Extreme Drought Threatens Panama Canal as Water Levels Hit Record Lows, Forcing Ship Slowdowns and Costly Delays
-
Extreme drought has severely reduced water levels in the Panama Canal, forcing strict limits on ships that can pass through and creating costly bottlenecks.
-
The Panama Canal Authority is considering options like an artificial lake, cloud seeding, and damming a river to pump more water into the canal's main reservoir.
-
But proposed solutions will take years to implement and face opposition from local residents who will be displaced.
-
Shippers like ONE are urging Panama to take urgent action, but the government has been slow to respond.
-
Climate change and infrastructure expansion without sufficient water supply planning are blamed for exacerbating the crisis.