‘Exceptional’ drought continues to intensify in northwest Mexico

Mexico’s northwest portion is experiencing wide drought, according to the National Water Commission (Conagua). Drought levels successful the parts of Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila states are classified arsenic “exceptional,” the astir highest drought severity classification.

There has been a shortage of rainfall successful the portion owed to the La Niña clime phenomenon, with small to nary precipitation expected until the rainy play commences astir July.

Most areas of Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua are presently experiencing terrible to exceptional drought. (Conagua)

“We volition get to May with terrible limitations of h2o services successful general, which we volition spot reflected successful intermittent cuts [and] rationing,” Juan Espinosa Luna, an adept successful applied geophysics, told the paper La Jornada.

Espinosa called connected the Federal Electricity Commission to warrant Sinaloa’s vigor supply, which relies heavy connected hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants.

Due to the deficiency of rain, the drought is expected to intensify successful Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California Sur implicit the coming months, starring to much terrible h2o shortages.

The mean retention level successful Sinaloa’s dams fell to 11.8% connected Feb. 23 — the lowest successful 30 years, according to Conagua.

🚱 Deja Conagua prácticamente seca la presa Huites, se queda al 1% de almacenamiento 💧 pic.twitter.com/BwGJD3O5tI

— Luis Alberto Díaz y Los Noticieristas (@noticieristas) November 21, 2024

The h2o level of Sinaloa’s largest dam, Adolfo López Mateos, stands astatine conscionable 7.6%, portion the Luis Donaldo Colosio, known arsenic Huites, has a h2o level of 3%.

Agriculture affected by drought

According to Conagua’s Drought Monitor, Sinaloa is 1 of the four states successful the country that has drought crossed each municipalities. The drought is having a knock-on effect connected the region’s cultivation activities and output.

In Sinaloa, astir 50% of the cultivated onshore has not been planted owed to h2o scarcity.

The authorities has responded to the clime challenges by announcing a unreality seeding program, a weather modification technique aimed astatine improving a cloud’s quality to nutrient rain.

In unreality seeding programs, airplanes disperse chemic agents that catalyze h2o vapor successful clouds to condense into rain. (World Meteorological Organization)

Sinaloa’s Governor Ruben Rocha said the 2025 programme volition beryllium financed with national backing of 13 cardinal pesos (US $636 million).

“We person had a drought, that drought is being reflected, you producers are planting little due to the fact that determination is not capable water. There is not capable water. We person to find ways,” Rocha said during his code astatine the assembly of the Association of Farmers of the Western Sinaloa River (AARSP).

“We are going to commencement the rainfall stimulation program.” the politician added.

Rocha referred to the municipality of Guasave successful Sinaloa, which is wide known for its cultivation activities, arsenic “Mexico’s granary” during his speech.

He reassured farmers that they volition proceed to person enactment for fertilizers, seeds, marketing, retention and terms enactment for maize crops. However, helium besides emphasized the request to trim the outgo of cultivation inputs.

The authorities hopes that the unreality seeding programme and fiscal enactment for farmers volition assistance communities tackle the clime situation being faced successful the portion and flooded economical challenges.

With reports from La Jornada, Debate, Noroeste and Linea Directa