Weather Worsens Mexico City's Water Shortage

By NICHOLAS CASEY
WSJ

MEXICO CITY -- This megacity -- which was built on the bed of a lake -- may be close to running out of water.

One of the principal reservoirs that feeds Mexico City, the Cutzamala dam system, is nearly half-empty and continuing to drop. Water shutoffs have become routine in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods.

A respite came this week with a few days of heavy rain. But with the country facing what could be one of its driest years in nearly seven decades, the government is running ads with a dire prediction: "February 2010: The City May Run Out of Water."

"If we can't get control of water demand here, the difference between what's offered and what's needed is going to leave parts of this city without any water," says Ramón Aguirre, head of Mexico City's water system.

(More here.)