Mexican water resources are scarce, the price of bottled water is equivalent to gasoline, and beverage companies such as Coca -Cola are accused

【Source: Nine Pai News】

Since July, heat waves have swept the world, and under the dual effects of high temperature and lack of precipitation, more than half of Mexico are suffering from drought.

A group of photos taken by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency showed that the Cerro Prieto Reservoir in New Royn, Mexico has undergone tremendous changes from July 2015 to July 2022. The current Cerro Prieto Reservoir looks more like a desert, as if the reservoir has never existed.

The reservoir is water supply to Mexico's second largest city, and its water level has fallen to 0.5%of its 393 million cubic meters of capacity this month. Cerro Prieto Reservoir is almost dry, which means that the faucet in Monterer no longer supplys water.

Waterwheels managed by the authorities have become the only way for households and enterprises to supply water.

The Souyo is a resident of Montrey. The waterwheel is stopped in a neighborhood 10 minutes away from her house, and stays at most 15 minutes each time. She doesn't know when the waterwheel will arrive at her community, maybe when she is working, it may be in the middle of the night.

Most waterwheels distribute water are not suitable for drinking, sometimes water is brown or even bugs. The Sounian family used it as a bath, dishes and fluxing water.

People have to buy bottled water from the store, and the price is equivalent to gasoline. Monterey is facing a "sanitary crisis" because those who can't afford bottled drinking water can only drink water without clean water.

But drought and seemed to have no restrictions on beverage companies such as Coca -Cola and Xili. They used private wells to draw groundwater for production. On July 18, Mexican President Andreis Obrador requested that the beverage company stopped production and provided water to the public. Xili said that it would divide 20%of production water to the public, and Coca -Cola invited the public to its mineral water factory for free water, but for most residents, the road was too far.

In recent weeks, social activists have been popular: this is not drought, this is predatory.

Himei Noristo, the person in charge of the Public Service User Union, said the organization predicted the crisis four months ago. They blame local leaders to profit from the water company's water.

Nonolla said: "From the perspective of these companies, there are no signs that they will voluntarily give up water. In terms of government, there is a problem of incompetence. They accuse everyone, not themselves."

Due to the conflict of interests, the alliance called for the revocation of the Director of Monterey's Water Affairs and Drainage Bureau, Huan Ignasio Balanan. The Balanan family is one of the richest families in Mexico. They founded Arca Continental, a Coca -Cola bottle dealer.

In a joint statement of ARCA Continental and Coca -Cola Company, they emphasized that Montere's industrial sector only consumed 4%of public water in New Royn. However, this does not include water obtained through private wells.

Although a number of beverage companies, including Arca Continental and Coca -Cola, collectively promised that part of the use of water to the public during the drought duration, these companies did not reduce their basic drinking water prices.

Mexico's per capita bottled water consumption level ranks first in the world. "How to price water? This is a human rights." Neurala said, "But when bottled water becomes the only source of drinking water, the public has to buy. The price of water is almost as high as gasoline."

Because the water mating in rich areas is higher than that of poverty, and there are still 12 hours of tap water per day. The water resource crisis triggered class contradictions, and protests and violence continued to occur.

On July 16th, the residents of two poor suburbs in Monterey City, after learning that some of the remaining water in the nearby reservoir will be led to the city, they use cars, tires, stones, and branches as roadblocks to block a highway and make it to make a highway and make it to make it to make a highway and make it to make it to make a highway and make it to make a highway and make it to make a highway and make it to make it to make a highway and so The traffic was interrupted for two days.

"If the situation becomes worse, I don't know how we will live until September."

Jiupai News Intern reporter Liu Wenqin

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