Desertification in Chile
Illapel, a town of about 30 000 inhabitants in the Coquimbo regio central Chile, is facing problems of water supply. Located in an area heavily affected by desertification, the town receives its drinking water from the El Bato reservoir. In 2022, this reservoir was filled to less than 10% of its capacity, leaving the city with the challenge of managing the water demand of different activities: mining, avocado farming and domestic use. Conditions have significantly improved in the last year, the reservoir is now at full capacity, but the ongoing climate crisis is expected to cause further droughts.
This image is a True Colour Sentinel-2 L1 C image. By avoiding atmospheric and radiometric correction, the shadows in the steep valleys are not corrected and the rugged, dry nature of this landscape is brought to focus.
![Download [WEBP, 281.88 KB]](https://eu-space.europa.eu/sites/default/files/images/iotd/2022-05-13-00_00_2022-05-13-23_59_Sentinel-2_L1C_True_color.webp){kind=link}