Did you know that Mexico City – one of the largest cities in the world – is experiencing a historic water crisis?
Many residents are dealing with water unfit for consumption, or have no running water at all!
Droughts coupled with aging infrastructure are causing major issues. In fact, more than 75% of Mexico is dealing with some form of drought. Many are expecting “Day Zero”, when water levels are completely depleted, to happen as soon as June 26th.
So how are citizens of Mexico City dealing with the shortage, and what is being done to alleviate strain? Let’s find out!
What Caused The Shortage?
Rising temperatures and decreased rainfall are causing drought and water shortages in cities all over Mexico.
Currently, Mexico City reservoirs are at less than 40% capacity – a historic low! Water levels are so depleted that one of the city’s rainwater catchment basins recently caught fire, burning 75 acres.
Additionally, the city’s water system is old and leaky. It is estimated that 30 - 40% of the water supply is lost through underground pipe leaks and illegal siphoning. And with the rainy season still months away, the city is struggling to find a solution.
With all of these detractors, Mexico City’s water troubles go even deeper. Before Spanish colonization, Mexico City was an island. Sitting in the middle of a lake, the town had an ample supply of water. After the Spanish conquered the city, its ancient water systems were destroyed, and the lake drained to create a more European-style city.
To replace the drained water, they began pumping from deep underground aquifers to meet the city’s water needs. Now, those aquifers are running dry. Unfortunately, so much water has been extracted that the ground is undergoing a process called subsidence. The weight of the city can no longer be supported, and the city sinks about 15 to 20 inches yearly, causing buckling streets and sinkholes as well as threatening the city's metro system.
How Are Residents Managing?
Many residents only have water for about an hour a day, with even more people going months without running water.
Growing water concerns have sparked many protests. Locals must sign up for a waiting list for trucks to deliver water to their homes. Unfortunately, even when they do receive water, it is undrinkable. Citizens are dealing with water that is black and stinky and isn’t even fit for cleaning purposes.
Most are forced to buy expensive bottled water for drinking and washing. The shortage is so bad that parks and gyms are limiting the number of guests because people are beginning to use too much water at the facilities.
Though many fear Day Zero is just around the corner, officials are attempting to keep it at bay. Measures have been put in place to alleviate strain on the infrastructure, such as prohibitions against watering grass and washing cars. Mexican president López Obrador doesn’t believe that there will be a Day Zero and insists that measures are being taken to restore water access, such as digging new wells and laying new pipelines.
Let’s hope that these improvements will continue and that the citizens of Mexico City – and Mexico as a whole – will get the water that they so desperately need.
Sources: NPR, CBS, NBC, US Today, MSN
