Mexico: Monterrey’s 5 million residents without water

Intense droughts and poor planning have reverted one of Mexico’s most prosperous cities into a water-scarce area. Monterrey began restricting water access back in March as the three dams supplying the city started to dry up, and the city stopped water services Tuesday. The shutdown could last weeks. According to the North American Drought Monitor, almost 60 percent of all of Mexico is also suffering from some level of drought.

Why didn’t anyone see this coming? They did, but widespread government corruption has prevented effective planning for long-term water conservation. One project to build an aqueduct to bring water from a river over 300 miles away from the city fell through in 2016 due to alleged misconduct in how the building contracts were allotted. Residents have also historically used more water than the World Health Organization recommends, which is about 100 liters, or 26 gallons, per person per day.

Dig deeper: Read Sophia Lee’s report on Haitian immigrants settling in Mexico.