Calama A city without rain

There are some places in the world where the population has remained stable even though it has not rained for centuries. Calama is a city and commune in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert. The city of Calama, known as the mineral capital of Chile under the Atacama Desert, has received no rainfall. According to records, the ancient city did not receive any rainfall from 1601 to 1941 for about three and a half centuries.

However, the water of Chile’s longest river, the Loa, which flows through the city at 7,415 feet above sea level, has become a source of livelihood. Of course, there is now a lot of rain due to global climate change.

But that is negligible, as it is only 4 to 5 times a year and a total of 5 mm. Due to the heavy rainfall, the townspeople do not rely on rainwater for their daily use, including in the daily use of the Loa River in agriculture and mining, even in the face of such severe shortages of rainwater and other regional water resources. Calama has become a hotbed of mining, especially for engineers and workers.