e360 digest
30 Jan 2009:
Mexico City Rations Water
In Face of Drought and Overdevelopment
Mexico City officials will begin rationing or cutting water to homes across the city this weekend in response to a critical supply shortage caused by an unusually dry stretch of weather and what experts say are years of uncontrolled development and poor planning. As many as 5.5 million people will be affected in 10 city boroughs and 11 surrounding municipalities as the main reservoir supplying the region’s drinking water has dipped below 60 percent capacity. While city officials expect the water rationing to last until Tuesday, it may be repeated monthly until the rainy season begins, which is usually in May. Experts say water management has become an increasingly critical challenge in Mexico, where officials have not adequately upgraded aqueducts, pipes, and treatment plants in the face of population growth and sprawling development. In addition to water rationing, the nation must adopt better conservation efforts and invest in water delivery systems, said Jorge Efren Villalon, a senior official with the National Water Commission.
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