Mexico City Imposes Severe Water Restrictions as Drought Continues

Mexico City officials imposed severe, monthslong cuts to the Mexican capital city's water supply last Friday after months of severe drought in certain areas of the country.

The Mexican National Water Commission and Mexico City Mayor Marti Batres announced the harsh water restrictions during a news conference, though it was noted that the cuts were not announced on social media until four hours after the restrictions took effect.

Mexico City relies on the Cutzamala system, which the Associated Press describes as a " network of three reservoirs serving over 20 million residents in the Valley of Mexico," for its water supply. However, the system's water has dropped to historic seasonal lows due to low rainfall, severely limiting the Mexican capital's water supply.

Reports indicated that the system is 44% lower than it should be during this time of year, making Mexican officials restrict water from Cutzamala by roughly 8% last month. However, this new announcement takes more drastic measures as the water supply has now been cut by 25% more.

Mostly the western portions of Mexico City, which includes 12 boroughs. will be having lower water pressure until the restrictions lift, according to officials, who did not specify when exactly these restrictions would be lifted, though they did admit that restrictions would stand for "the next few months."

They do have a ray of hope, though, as the rainy season is expected to bring the water supply in the city back up. However, this rain is not expected to arrive until May of next year.

Mexico Drought Expected To Raise Food Prices Across the Country

The Mexico drought is not just affecting the water supply in Mexico City but also other essentials, such as food. This includes sugar, beans, corn, and meat.

According to Mexico Business, price hikes on various items are to be expected as a result of this severe drought that is affecting parts of the country. Around 502,550.14 hectares of farmland are affected by the drought, and many farms are facing massive financial losses because of this, in addition to the significant risk to food security for the Mexican population.

"We are already seeing price hikes, with items like sugar and beans experiencing notable increases. Therefore, it is crucial to foresee the drought's impact on consumer prices," said National Agricultural Council (CNA) General Director Luis Fernando Haro.

However, while Haro stated that droughts have been an "ongoing and recurring problem" in Mexico, he says that there is still "no need to be concerned about food shortages in Mexico" as important food items can still be imported from other countries, including the US.

Mexico Trying Controversial Methods To Combat Drought and Make It Rain

Mexico is trying various ways to combat the drought, including the controversial technology known as cloud seeding, which aims to artificially stimulate rainfall.

According to CNN, the technology is controversial because scientists say that it is not a very effective method, so it should not be considered a proper solution to drought, yet Mexico has been experimenting with ways to make it effective anyway.

Clouds are needed for cloud seeding as particles are injected via drones or planes to attract water droplets to form around them. Mexico has targeted 62 municipalities in the northern and northeastern portions that have been severely hampered by the drought.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Mexico: Government turns to cloud-seeding to fight drought - Al Jazeera English