Water supply sources dropped to 12%, reveals the State Civil Protection Council
Karen Munguía / Diario de Querétaro
Querétaro entered a state of alert later after the declaration was issued due to the dry season caused by the severe, extreme and exceptional drought existing in the entity this 2024.
The declaration came into force on May 10 and was signed by Mauricio Kuri González, in his capacity as governor and president of the State Civil Protection Council.
This will remain in force until the planned actions, procedures and strategies manage to regularize and order the abnormal situation caused by the dry season in the state with the objective that the situation does not represent a risk to safety, integrity and physical and psychological health. of the population.
According to the recitals of the declaration published in the official newspaper La Sombra de Arteaga, the entire territory of the state of Querétaro is experiencing some degree of drought; Of the 18 municipalities, 0.8% are in severe drought (D2), 24.2% in extreme drought (D3) and 75% in exceptional drought (D4), according to data from the Mexican drought monitor of the National Water Commission (Conagua ) and the National Meteorological Service (SMN), with a cut-off date of April 30, 2024.
Likewise, it is detailed that, at the beginning of April of this year, the underground and surface sources of water resources in the state reported a historical storage of 12%, as a consequence of the meteorological and hydrological droughts since, since there were no sufficient rainfall, there is no surface runoff.
It is also reported that the lack of rain and drought in Querétaro has mainly affected corn and bean crops, as well as free-grazing livestock; In the case of corn production, the damage is estimated at 25 thousand affected families, 74 thousand hectares damaged and 67 thousand tons not produced, while livestock farming has impacted more than 19 thousand livestock production units registered in the state.
Due to the emergency, the State Water Commission (CEA) was instructed to guarantee the human right to water in a sufficient, healthy, acceptable and affordable form, through various actions such as a massive dissemination campaign for awareness and prevention in the dry season, aimed at saving and caring for water.
Likewise, in collaboration with Civil Protection, it must carry out the logistics for the distribution of tank cars in the areas most affected by the season, this to achieve adequate distribution of water; identify the areas that will have the greatest complications in delivering water; carry out the procedures to obtain the collaboration of the 18 municipalities and carry out the necessary actions and procedures to obtain the collaboration of public drinking water service providers and concessionaires. Likewise, it is contemplated to allocate public resources to acquisitions that are necessary for the dry season.
According to an initial diagnosis and evaluation of the emergency situation that occurred in the 18 municipalities, it was determined that Querétaro is one of the states with the highest drought rates in the country.
The dry season is defined as the period of the year when the levels of rivers, lagoons, dams and dams decrease significantly and includes the months of March to June; In the case of Querétaro, the months of May to June have been recorded with the highest temperatures by statistics.
Municipalities in extreme drought
The water situation in the state has been a cause for concern since September 2022 when two municipalities entered the exceptional drought category; The situation has not shown significant improvements.
At the end of March 2024, eight municipalities were in exceptional drought; However, during the first 15 days of April, the number of municipalities in this situation increased to 14. For the last fortnight of the month, another municipality was added to the list, thus totaling 15 municipalities in exceptional drought and 3 in extreme drought. these being Corregidora, Huimilpan and Querétaro.
The municipalities in exceptional drought include Amealco de Bonfil, Pinal de Amoles, Arroyo Seco, Cadereyta de Montes, Colón, Ezequiel Montes, Jalpan de Serra, Landa de Matamoros, El Marqués, Pedro Escobedo, Peñamiller, San Joaquín, San Juan del Río , Tequisquiapan and Tolimán.
Source: diariodequeretaro
