James Myers of OAN
Friday, May 31, 2024 1:08 PM
Weather experts say Mexico City could run out of drinking water by the end of June, a time residents are calling “day zero.”
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Mexico City has been struggling to provide water to millions of residents and is now facing a third consecutive year of low rainfall and high temperatures, throwing the city into a state of panic.
The Kutsamala water system, a series of treatment works, reservoirs and canals that provide water to tens of millions of people, is now nearly dry.
Meanwhile, the situation is considered so severe that the North American Drought Monitor classified the Federal District, which includes Mexico City, as “severe” at the end of April. mexico business newsLocal residents expect “Zero Day” to occur on June 26th.Number.
according to CNNLocal politicians are downplaying the water crisis while several districts claim their water supplies have already dried up.
There have been multiple widespread power outages this year, and water and electricity have become key election issues ahead of nationwide voting on Sunday.
The Mexican government describes the Cutzamala system as “vital to the lives of millions of Mexicans” living in the Mexico City and Toluca Valley metropolitan areas.
The system normally moves about 15 cubic meters of water per second, serving around 22 million people. It is currently operating at 28 percent capacity. The Washington Post.
Additionally, poor infrastructure also contributes to the problem, with around 40 percent of Mexico City’s water being lost to leaking pipes and other problems. post report.
The Kutzamala system could be saved through intensive water recovery, use of treated residual water for agriculture and recharging the aquifer with surface water, researchers from Mexico’s National Autonomous University said in a study. Mexico Business News.
The study also found that only 75 percent of farms in the region use water for irrigation, and most farms do not reuse water even though they can.
Mexico’s National Water Commission announced in February that it was working on a project to improve the Cutzamala water system and replace some of the water that is being lost.
Mexico’s National Autonomous University predicts that some states will see new heat records, leading to “increased energy demand, air pollution and forest fires.”
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