In the capital of Chile, Santiago, grass has become a rarity due to a ten-year drought. The South American city is forced to limit water use and convince landscape designers to abandon lush green spaces, writes Reuters.

Over the past ten years, the climate of Santiago has changed — it has become much drier and eventually turned into a semi-desert, while earlier the projects of parks, gardens and squares were adapted to the Mediterranean climate. Now local municipalities are planning to plant plants along highways that consume little water, unlike the usual trees and bushes.

Green meadows and alleys can still be found in prestigious areas of the city, while they have almost disappeared from less prosperous areas. In Santiago City Park, canal water levels have dropped by 80 percent in recent years. Officials are working to upgrade irrigation systems and aim to prepare the park for a drier climate. For example, they replace natural lawns with artificial ones. According to the deputy director of the park, Eduardo Villalobos, the replacement of five hectares of lawn saved the city 300,000 liters of water.