So, Mexico City, one of the biggest cities in the world, is facing a major water shortage. Residents and tourists alike are being asked to be super careful with their water. According to USA Today, on Friday (3/8/2024), Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, is in a real pinch. The city’s dealing with a serious drought and crazy high temperatures, which are really straining its old infrastructure.
This drought has left some neighborhoods without water for weeks. And for others, they’re lucky if they get it once a week. Loads of people are having to buy water from private companies. “they’ve pumping out groundwater” says Dr. Sufi, who’s a professor in the Business School.
According to AP, the city’s reservoirs, which supply water to a whopping 22 million people, are only at 30 percent capacity thanks to the drought. And on top of that, the city’s aging water system is leaking about 40 percent of the water from far-off sources.
And it’s not just the reservoirs that are drying up. Even the rainwater catchment basins are bone dry. Last Tuesday, the El Cristo basin actually caught fire, torching 75 hectares. Right now, the city doesn’t have any way to recycle wastewater or collect rainwater. Plus, this drought has been going on since last year, and officials have had to put restrictions on water use in certain areas.
“The government’s trying promising to do more,” Dr. Sufi says. On the bright side, the rainy season is about three months away. But, let’s not forget, this is a city known for its crazy population density.
And guess what? This water shortage is even affecting tourism. Yep, tourists visiting Mexico City are being asked to cut back on water use too. Hotels in the areas hit hardest by the shortage have found other sources of water. Dr. Sufi says lots of hotels are struggling to find water and some don’t even have any at all. So, tourists might see changes like using disposable stuff in restaurants to save water.
He’s also telling tourists to be really careful with how much water they use while they’re in the city and to try and be respectful during their visit.