Posted on 09/16/2021 5:46:36 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
Mexico City’s water is quite literally disappearing. I have no doubt that in 2022 there will be a crisis, the reservoirs are completely depleted.
What is happening in Mexico City? The ancient Aztecs originally engineered the origins of Mexico City on top of Lake Texcoco and left the surrounding natural freshwater lakes intact for use. However, as the city grew the lakes were drained to make way for infrastructure, homes, and a growing population.
With expansion came an increasingly dire water security dilemma. Much of the city’s water supply comes from an underground aquifer that is being drained at an irreplaceable rate. As the aquifer is drained, Mexico City is sinking downwards rapidly at twenty inches per year.
Despite heavy flooding and rainfall, the city is facing a water shortage. In fact, more than 20 million residents don’t have enough water to drink for nearly half the year.
One in five people have access to only a few hours of running water from their taps a week and 20% have running water for part of the day. Counting on clean water is far from reliable for many.
Current projections estimate that global demand for fresh water will exceed supply by 40% in 2030. Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, has a population of nearly 22 million and is growing steadily with population growth expected to hit 30 million by 2030.
Mexico City is one of 11 cities predicted to reach what is called Day Zero, or the day when the water runs dry. This is nothing short of a crisis. “Each drop of water that passes through the Mexican capital tells a heroic, tragic, unfinished story of urban growth and human development.”
Why is Mexico City in a water crisis? There are a few reasons why a city on top of an aquifer and with a very heavy rainy season struggles to provide potable water for its residents. Specifically, the challenges to water security are widespread and difficult for urban designers, environmentalists, and politicians alike.
A lack of sanitary wastewater treatment across the city hinders water collection and poses a huge challenge to keeping existing water clean for use.
Additionally, Mexico City’s pipes are old and leaking. According to the University of Pittsburgh, Mexico City loses 1,000 liters of water per second because of an outdated water system that is being crushed by the falling city and punctuated by thousands of small leaks.
Finally, rainwater collection exists, but no city-wide system is in place. When it rains, water often mixes with sewage and cannot be used.
Why is the city sinking? Mexico City ended all groundwater drilling in the city central in the 1950s yet water is pumped up from below in the surrounding areas and GPS data has found the city is continuing to drop.
As water extraction has chased groundwater deeper and deeper underground, the clay lake bed is now completely dry and the tightly packed mineral soil is causing irreversible compaction. This phenomenon, called subsistence, does not have a quick fix.
Additionally, water from rain storms cannot permeate the concrete-covered city and refill the aquifer. A 2021 study made the claim that there is no hope for significant elevation and storage capacity recovery. Much of the water must be pumped to the city using hydro engineering from reservoirs thousands of kilometers away.
Drought is a threat multiplier Mexico continues to experience one of the most widespread droughts in decades. Unusually low rainfall has already reduced access to water in the capital. The reservoirs in Cutzamala outside the city provide a quarter of the city’s water but in 2020 the reservoirs were nearly 18 percentage points below normal levels. As precious reservoir levels plummet, the city authorities have reduced the flow from the reservoirs, which has been affecting tap water access. Some residents are relying on water delivery trucks and even donkeys.
This occurrence is predicted to repeat. Researchers have estimated the availability of natural water for the city could decrease by up to 17% by 2050 as temperatures rise.
“More heat and drought mean more evaporation and yet more demand for water, adding pressure to tap distant reservoirs at staggering costs or further drain underground aquifers and hasten the city’s collapse,” writes Michael Kimmelman for the New York Times.
What is Mexico doing to stop its water crisis? Mexico recognizes the pressing issue of water facing their biggest city. Mexico City initiated the Green Plan project, which will run until 2022 with goals such as reducing groundwater losses and repairing water infrastructure among others.
Former president Enrique Peña Nieto signed a series of presidential decrees in 2018 to create water reserves in nearly 300 river basins throughout the country. And $7.4 billion has been dedicated to mitigating the water crisis by Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo in 2019.
It’s a paradox. It’s a catastrophe. Right now Mexico City is sinking and its infrastructure is literally breaking. And on the other hand there is no way for the water to filter into the aquifer naturally. And you can imagine how expensive it is to change the entire piping system.
There is no easy solution to Mexico City’s water crisis, but perhaps it lies in communal, accessible spaces above ground instead of below.
I lived in Tucson 40 years ago, it was already happening there. Subsidence would periodically require repairs to broken up sections of I-10.
Unfortunately, they will start streaming over the border and demonrats will welcome them with open arms.
There is a bilateral US-Canadian commission for the Great Lakes and no they won’t be piping water to Phoenix. Not feasible anyway. Lake Michigan at Chicago is 577 feet altitude. Phoenix is over 1000, but it’s in a valley. Before you get water there you have to go past Albuquerque at 5300 feet, or maybe LasCruces at 3900 feet. And Chicago to Phoenix is 1750 miles, uphill all the way.
ok Governor, and where the hell do you think all these worthless Mexicans are going to be heading with the blessing of Dementia Joe?
The Southern American border.
They got pipe from the Colorado river from Lake Havasue to LA. Those lines run over mountains and through mountains.
It is about 280 miles though.
Not impossible but they would take from other sources first. I am against them getting ANY water from ANY outside source.
BTW, Nearly all the artesian wells in the east central part of WI are said to originate from Lake Superior. Ex father in laws well ran at 5 foot above the casing near Howards Grove
WI. They are impossible to cap. Try it and you’ll end up driving outer casings to try and stop the blow out. I know, we tried it once at a neighbors place. That one, after we managed to get it controlled, would supply water to the second story of the farmhouse right next to it.
After the good Friday Earthquake in Alaska those wells ran milky white for months. Some quit running.
Soon they will all be crossing the U.S. border.
It is a whole lot easier to move people to the water. Unfortunately, democrats control most of those wet places in the North and East so people are fleeing South and West where there is no water but fewer democrats. Now people are fleeing California going East and voting for the same crap that ruined their state.
Maybe all the illegals they’ve been sending to California for the past 50+ years can send them some wet dollar bills.
Montezuma’s Revenge has been a thing in
Mexico for as far back as I can
remember. They have never given their
water situation full attention. And
now that it has become a crisis, will
look to us to bail them out. (again)
You are completely wrong on all counts. And trust me, it’s a good thing! Read up on modern desalination plants, such as the ones in Carlsbad, California and Tampa Bay. They are very successful, economical and quite good for the environment.
“I do wonder why governments haven’t been working on massive pipelines to transfer water from highly wet places in the North and East where the water basically just runs off into the ocean instead of trying to kill us.”
Always thought a Columbia river aqueduct south through Oregon would be a great idea. Could even sale water to California.
If I’m wrong then the research I did on them was wrong. If you have a link to some info that refutes their reasoning I am willing to take a look at it.
There are frequently 3 or more sides to every story.
“”” I do wonder why governments haven’t been working on massive pipelines to transfer water from highly wet places in the North and East where the water basically just runs off into the ocean instead of trying to kill us.”””
I am not an expert but it seems probable that if you pump the fresh water to the dry places, the oceans are not recharged with fresh water and eventually the oceans become like the Dead Sea.
“”Yup. And Las Vegas will be ground zero.””
I agree. In 1950 less than 200,000 people lived in the entire state of Nevada. Today more than 3.1 million people live in Nevada and it rains about the same in 2021 as it did in 1950.
That’s a good point. I wonder if pulling 5-10% of that fresh water would make that much of a difference.
I was always amazed how much water they use in Mexico City. It was l in me it was free & unlimited. I was told it basically was free because of the lake beneath the city.
But I haven’t been there in 20 years.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Interesting hypothesis.
I don’t think it would matter much at all to be honest since water is cyclical and icebergs/icecaps melt and re-freeze regularly.
Many countries with water issues have desalinization plants and pull millions and millions of gallons from the oceans annually.
I think they work out a way to pull water in without killing wildlife but they will need to do something with the salt beside dumping it right back in the ocean in concentrated form.
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