As water reservoirs hit record-low levels, local authorities have implemented water rations. Some residents have gone to great lengths to conserve their little water.
Severe Water Shortage in Mexico City
Mexico City, North America's most populous city, has suffered a severe water shortage. This comes as lingering drought and low rainfall for years push the water system, which is already strained, that supplies running water to Mexico City.
With this severe water shortage, over 21 million residents in metro areas have endured water shortages spanning weeks. Local authorities have also been forced to implement rations as historic low levels have been observed in water reservoirs.
Olga Gonzales, a 50-year-old woman from the Coyoacan neighborhood, shares that officials have been using water trucks to supply water to residents in this area. However, the water is not sufficient. Gonzales shares that the trucks may take four to five days to arrive. This shortage forces Gonalzes to conserve and maximize the minimally available water. She shares that she recycles the water by collecting the water she uses for showering and using it for the toilet. The same goes for when she uses the washing machine.
Gonzales also notes that they must purchase drinking water as the city-provided water is too chlorinated and dirty to drink.
Nancy Carbera Cepeda, a 40-year-old office worker from the Tlalpan district of Mexico City, notes that local authorities typically offer water to residents just once a week. She notes that they have a tank that fills up when water arrives. She adds, however, that they generally do not have a water supply.
Long-Standing Water Challenges
Water shortages have become a pretty familiar scene for Mexico City residents. This area has poor urban development planning and insufficient infrastructure. Moreover, the area's unique geography and history critically affect the region's water system.
These challenges have been magnified in the past years by droughts that have intensified climate change. Estela Hernandez Villa, a 42-year-old merchant from the district of Iztapalapa, notes that in the past year, they spent two months without having water. Villa adds that other areas spend even more extended periods with no water.
Associate professor Dario Solano-Rokas from the National Autonomous University's Earth Science Engineering Division notes that it is unlikely for Mexico City to run out of water. Such an event is referred to as "day zero" at times. However, the coming months are likely to be highly challenging.
The region has had a long-standing, complicated relationship with water. The city sits over a high-altitude former lake bed that drained during the 16th century following the Spanish conquering the area. As a result, the city's primary water source comes from underground aquifer pumping and canal, dam, and reservoir network channeling. These channels are what make up the Cutzamala System.
Around 70% of Mexico City's water is from underground pumping. The Cutzamala system supplies the other 30% to the metropolitan area of the city as well as the Toluca Valley nearby.
However, underground aquifers get even more stressed as the city expands rapidly. Years of overuse also lead to ground sinking in a phenomenon called subsidence.
With all the stresses combined, the city finds it difficult to offer sufficient water for agriculture, industrial activities, and human consumption. Several neighborhoods face the toll of the water shortage.
Frustration regarding the water problem has led to unrest. Last January, protesters from Acambay municipality forcibly opened the gate of an office of the National Water Commission and broke some windows. Local authorities have also urged residents to conserve water and prioritize available water.
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