The Panama Canal will make more cuts to the number of ships using the waterway due to the worst drought in over 70 years, authorities say.

BBC News reports the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) says it has been forced to make the decision due to the driest October since records began in 1950, exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Starting from November 3, booking slots will be cut to 25 per day from an already reduced 31 per day, the ACP said.

Water levels in Gatun Lake, the rainfall-fed reservoir that is the main source of water used in the canal's lock system, have "continued to decline to unprecedented levels for this time of year," according to the ACP.

That number will be further reduced over the next three months to 18 slots per day from the start of February 2024.

In recent months, the ACP has imposed various passage restrictions to conserve scarce water. Earlier this year, authorities cut the number of ships passing through the canal for the first time ever.