Impurities in the Cauca river forced the pumping plant of Puerto Mallarino to shut down on Friday, affecting the supply of water in 75% of Cali.
The plant suspended its activity at 1:15PM, and is expected to restart at 4:30PM.
Director of Emcali Potable Water Alfredo Urbano declared that the high turbidity (cloudiness) of the Cauca river makes it “impossible to process the water.”
Meanwhile, water is being provided by reserve tanks located in the neighborhoods of Napoles, Ciudad Jardin, La Campina, La Normal and Siloe. However, this isn’t sufficient to provide for the entire city, supplying only an estimated 500,000 persons out of 2.5 million.
The water treatment will restart when the turbidity decreases, which experts estimate to be around 4:30PM on Friday.