Chile: Massive flood damages bridges, cuts road, shuts mine
Pastor Dale Morgan
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*Chile: Massive flood damages bridges, cuts road, shuts mine*
23 May 2008 18:46:48 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Antonio de la Jara
SANTIAGO, May 23 (Reuters) - Heavy rains and massive flooding that has
killed five people and displaced thousands in south-central Chile has
collapsed numerous road and rail bridges, closed the world's largest
copper mine and left many in the capital without drinking water, the
government said on Friday.
Many schools remained closed in Santiago and elsewhere on Friday after
floodwaters churned up sediment at water treatment plants, while several
rivers burst their banks farther south, deluging thousands of homes.
"More than seven rivers have overflowed," said Juan Saldivia,
undersecretary of public works. "We had a very complex situation
overnight, and Route 5 (Chile's main north-south highway) has been cut
in three places."
Landslides caused by the rains also forced the shutdown of the El
Teniente copper mine, owned by state miner Codelco, putting upward
pressure on global copper prices.
Television footage showed a collapsed railway bridge in the
wine-producing region of Maule, about 125 miles (200 km) south of
Santiago, which forced the suspension of rail services to the south.
The government said 8,000 homes had been affected and that 316 people
were stranded across the country. About 500 people were in shelters
while 14,000 forced from their homes were living with friends and family.
Of the five people killed earlier in the week by the flooding, two died
in landslides, one was struck by a boulder and another was hit by a
falling tree. One man died of hypothermia.
RAINS FILL RESERVOIRS
Streets turned into rivers in some areas.
In Santiago, 1.4 inches (35.7 millimeters) of rain fell in 24 hours --
the normal amount of rainfall for the entire winter season.
Parts of Chile experience downpours and flooding around this time every
year.
Police and firemen armed with sandbags and heavy machinery sought to
build flood defenses to protect houses in the eastern sector of the
capital after a canal overflowed.
There were no immediate details of any impact on crops, which had been
hurt by one of the worst droughts in decades.
Rains eased on Friday, but further rainfall was expected next week.
On the upside, the rains have refilled hydroelectric dam reservoirs
drained in recent months by the worst drought in decades, and reduced
the likelihood of electricity rationing.
The major Colbun <COL.SN> reservoir, owned by the company of the same
name and located in southern central Chile, has seen its levels rise
beyond the May average.
"The rains imply that we can relax a bit and that the chances of
rationing have been reduced," Energy Minister Marcelo Tokman told an
energy seminar in Santiago.
Scant rainfall has hit hydroelectric power generation, while cuts in
natural gas imports from neighboring Argentina and high costs of running
diesel generators are putting pressure on industry and the public.
Tokman said the rains and guarantees of at least limited natural gas
from Argentina have brightened the energy outlook for now. (Additional
reporting by Monica Vargas and Pav Jordan; Writing by Simon Gardner)