Prevent Millions From Running Out of Water

Target: Germán Martínez Santoyo, Director General of National Water Commission

Goal: Improve water infrastructure to avert city-wide shortage.

One of the most densely populated places on Earth—and home to roughly 22 million inhabitants—may soon face a critical water shortage. Experts are warning that Mexico City is rapidly approaching a so-called Day Zero scenario in which massive portions of the city will be without any water. As it stands now, many residents routinely go days, if not weeks, lacking access to water: a dire situation that has already led to massive protests.

The region has experienced long-standing problems with water supplies for centuries, ever since Spanish conquistadors drained a massive lakebed, dug canals, and razed forests. The climate crisis and its unseasonable temperatures have worsened conditions for millions of residents. Unfortunately, leaders are only downplaying the problems and doing little to address needed reforms that could help mitigate the crisis, such as investing in water recycling efforts.

Sign the petition below to demand immediate action on an impending public health disaster.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Director General Martinez Santoyo,

Water supplies in Mexico City stand at historic lows, and within weeks the taps could run completely dry. If you do not believe the assertions of science, then surely the masses of desperate citizens protesting outside your headquarters are evidence enough. These residents do not need insistence that their personal experiences are overreaction. They urgently need decisive action.

For one, the water pumping process is dangerously inefficient and leads to massive losses of water via leakage. Mismanagement of water supplies by entities like drink companies at a time when conservation and restrictions are abundant is also of major concern. And the lack of investment in rainwater harvesting and similar retention technologies is compounding the potential for a public health disaster.

You cannot rely on rains that are months away (if they arrive at all) as a savior. Please make the essential investments and implement plans of action before time runs out for millions of citizens.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Gobierno CDMX