South American countries suffer huge impacts from climate change

After 15 years of a devastating drought, reservoirs in Chile are running dry, imperiling access to drinking water in the Andean nation.

The Cogoti reservoir in the Coquimbo region of northern Chile, a basin with a capacity of 150 million cubic meters has completely depleted as the Southern Hemisphere summer comes to an end.

The historic drought has impacted nearly every aspect of life in the copper-rich nation, affecting everything from mining output to green areas in the capital.

Chile is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world and could run out of water supply by 2040, according to the World Resources Institute. 

While rainfall helped replenish some reservoirs in central and southern Chile this past winter, the north remained parched, sapping reservoirs throughout the region.

Meanwhile, Argentine capital Buenos Aires and its surrounding areas saw the largest fall of rain overnight and on Wednesday, with more than 100 millimeters in a short period of time that has generated flooding and destruction of all kinds.

On Wednesday morning, media reports showed highways under water, cars floating along avenues and a huge billboard that had collapsed on top of a building. At the peak of the storm, flights were canceled at the capital's two airports.

A new front of heavy rains over key grains regions of Argentina could be "very damaging" to the South American country's current soy and corn crops and could dent production, a local grains exchange and a weather expert said on Wednesday.

Argentina, one of the world's top two exporters of soybean oil and meal, and the third largest for corn, has seen strong rains well above normal levels so far this month, initially boosting dry soils but now starting to saturate farmland.

Added to the copious rains, some areas saw hail in different parts of Buenos Aires in the last few hours.

"The hail destroyed everything, we had about 400 hectares with phenomenal yields of soybeans and corn, which now has all been lost," said an agricultural producer from the Buenos Aires town of 25 de Mayo, who asked not to be named.

(With input from Reuters)