Xalapa, Veracruz, MEXICO — In April 2023, Julia Martínez was washing her two children when she turned on the tap, but no drops came out. She did her best to get rid of the soap and then used drinking water from the house’s 20-liter (5.3-gallon) jug, costing almost $2, to rinse them. Shortly after, Julia discovered that her neighborhood in Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz, in east-central Mexico, received tap water only twice a week as a result of tandeos, a local government program that rotates water distribution among different areas of the city throughout the week. Water deprivation has been particularly dire between April and October 2023, primarily in Xalapa’s outskirts. Mexico itself is facing water shortages in 30 of its 32 states, forcing residents to purchase and recycle water, postpone baths and protest against authorities. Like many other Mexicans facing water shortages, Martinez’s family has decided to skip showers, flush the toilet only if necessary, recycle water when washing or cleaning and buy water when they run out. They do not have 2,256 pesos ($132.23) to buy a water tank to save 1,100 liters (290 gallons). A view of Pico de Orizaba seen from Xalapa. Image by Eneas De Troya via Wikimedia Commons. By 2050, between 40% and 80% of Mexico’s population will live with high water stress, according to the World Resources Institute. The country is running out of time to reverse a water crisis that will only worsen in the coming years, says…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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