Cabinet Council Resolution No. 48 (Tuesday, May 30, 2023) decreeing a State of Environmental Emergency in view of the prolonged drought in Panama and the high probability of the arrival of the El Niño Phenomenon.

The Cabinet Council declared a State of Environmental Emergency throughout the national territory due to the prolonged drought as a consequence of the climate crisis affecting the world. The resolution of the Ministry of Environment warns that high temperatures, evaporation, and lack of rainfall are the preamble to the arrival of a possible El Niño Phenomenon, which would reduce the production of water for human consumption and agricultural activity throughout the country. It points out that the artificial lakes Alhajuela and Gatun, which supply water to more than half of the country's population and to the inter-oceanic waterway, have been drastically reduced due to the prolongation of the dry season. The Ministry of Agricultural Development, Instituto de Acueducto y Alcantarillados Nacionales, Ministry of Environment, Autoridad Nacional de Servicios Públicos and Instituto de Meteorología e Hidrología de Panamá are the entities authorized to make the necessary special contracts to face the State of Environmental Emergency, according to the approved resolution.