CDMX Water Crisis: Surge in Demand for Water Trucks in 3 Boroughs Due to Water Shortage

CDMX Water Crisis: Surge in Demand for Water Trucks

Notice: The inhabitants of Mexico City are facing a period of drought due to the critically low levels of the Cutzamala System, which has caused a shortage of water in most of the city's boroughs.

Journalist Marco Silva, a contributor to Grupo Fórmula, reported that the demand for water trucks has increased in at least three boroughs due to the water scarcity.

Increased Demand in Boroughs

In Azcapotzalco, for example, 4,123 water trucks were used in 2023, and it is projected that this year there will be a 30% increase in demand due to the ongoing drought. This means that an estimated 5,360 water trucks will be needed in this borough in 2024, which is an additional 1,237 water trucks. In January alone, there was a demand for 420 water trucks.

In Benito Juárez, a similar situation is unfolding, with 390 water trucks requested in January of last year and 404 in the same month this year. Many of these requests came from neighborhoods that had not previously experienced water supply problems.

Challenges in Venustiano Carranza

In Venustiano Carranza, there are only 12 water trucks to supply water to 80 neighborhoods with a population of 470,000 inhabitants and 2 million floating population. Although only five neighborhoods are experiencing water shortages. The water scarcity and the limited number of water trucks have led to their services being concentrated in hospitals, shopping centers, markets, and residential units.

Impact and Distribution Challenges

The scarcity of water in the capital is evident in the long queues at water wells, where it takes between one to two hours to load up to 10,000 liters of water onto as many as 30 water trucks, which are then distributed to various boroughs. However, this amount of vital liquid is insufficient and only enough for approximately five families, directly contributing to the increased demand for water.