Panama Canal reports driest October since 1950

Panama Canal reported the driest October since 1950 i.e 73 years due to the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon that continues to impact the reservoir system.

"In October 2023, there has been 41 percent less rainfall than usual, lowering Gatun Lake to unprecedented levels for this time of year," says an official release.

With less than two months left until the end of the rainy season, the Canal and the country face the challenge of the upcoming dry season with a minimum water reserve that must guarantee supply for more than 50 percent of the population, and, at the same time, maintain the operations of the interoceanic waterway, the release added.

The Panama Canal has, therefore, announced reservation slots to maintain a competitive draft from November until February.

The measures are in addition to those previously adopted to preserve fresh water resources and to ensure the safety of transit operations such as the use of water reutilisation basins in the Neopanamax locks and cross-filling in the Panamax locks, the update added.