Can the Panama Canal save itself? - BBC News

The authority that runs the canal is looking at ways to conserve the water it needs to stay open.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Panama Canal AuthorityImage caption, Water levels of the Panama Canal are the second lowest they have been in 110 yearsBy Michelle FleuryNorth America Business correspondent, PanamaThe most famous waterway in the Americas is running dry.

Unlike the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal is fed by a freshwater lake, Lake Gatún, and its water level is falling critically low.

After a choppy boat ride across Lake Gatún, Nelson Guerra, the Panama Canal Authority's hydrologist, points toward a rusted ruler beneath a tower on the western end of the water.

"The level, as you see on the rulers, is 81.20ft," he says. "The level should be five feet more than now."

On the return journey, the boat passes old tree stumps sticking out of the water. They were never fully cut down during the original construction of the lake. Normally, only a few would be visible at this time of year. But half way through the dry season, there's a forest of them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68467529

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