Mexican authorities warn of “severe” drought in the center of the country and will affect water supply to people

The water system that feeds Mexico City and municipalities in the central state of Mexico is affected by the “severe” drought in the center of the country, warned on Tuesday the head of government of the Mexican capital, Claudia Sheinbaum.

The local governor warned that at least until next May, the metropolitan area of the Valley of Mexico will experience a prolonged drought that adds to the drought of 2020, 2021, and 2022.

In a press conference, he explained that the drop in the level of the Cutzamala water storage system was reduced because there has been less rainfall in the last two years.

This means that the Cutzamala dams are at the half, in general, of what they should have stored, he added when presenting the strategy for the low water season.

According to the graphs presented, by 2023, the situation will be more complex than on previous occasions since the capital area will be receiving 2.5 cubic meters of water per second less than four years ago and one less than the last year.

Specifically, in 2019 Mexico City received 10.5 cubic meters per second during the drought period, while in 2023, it will receive eight cubic meters per second, a decrease of 24 percent. In 2022 the figure was nine cubic meters per second.

According to the governor, alternatives will be sought to obtain water for the citizens, including negotiating with industrial companies.

“We will make a call, particularly in the industrial sector, next week to review if more water can be contributed from industrial wells or if part of this water can be recovered.”

“The objective is not to compromise production but to see how much more water can be provided from industrial wells,” he said.

As a result of the overexploitation of the aquifers in the Mexico Valley basin in the 1980s, it was decided to build a system hundreds of kilometers from the capital to extract water from the Cutzamala river in the state of Mexico.