The National Water Commission (Conagua) reported Tuesday that around 2.5 million people in the Valley of México experienced a loss of water supply for more than 12 hours due to the breakdown in the Cutzamala water system.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the water supply loss has aggravated the situation of residents who are forced to stay indoors since they cannot easily get access to safe, potable water in their area.

According to a recent article, the Cutzmala water line is one of the largest drinking water systems in the world, consisting of a 127-kilometer-long pipeline, seven reservoirs, and six pumping stations. 

The mechanical issue affected communities including Acolman, Atizapán de Zaragoza, Coacalco, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Ecatepec, Huixquilucan, Naucalpan, Nezahualcóyotl, Nicolás Romero, Tecámac, Tlalnepantla and Tultitlán.


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The loss of water supply was caused by a broken valve that sent a geyser of water gushing from the ruptured line, causing flooding and damaging eight homes nearby.

Conagua initially estimated the repairs to span 20 hours. Still, upon repair, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced it took only 12 hours to restore the service to 12 municipalities in the valley's metropolitan area.

Sheinbaum announced on her social media account that the government would provide the necessary support to restore service to 100 percent as soon as they can.

On Wednesday morning, Sheinbaum tweeted that Conagua personnel worked through the night and fixed the leak by around 3 a.m. The water supply was expected to be restored after six or seven hours once the line filled up again.


Water Supplies are Short Due to Extreme Heat

Apart from the mechanical issue, the shortage in the water supply is generally one of Mexico's current problems that hurdle their battle against COVID-19. In a recent article by Latin Post, Conagua recently published a declaration of emergency due to the occurrence of severe drought in basins by the year 2020.

Moreover, Mexico's rising temperature, which causes heatwave, could put at risk the health of essential workers who will have to go out to perform their responsibilities.

According to the National Meteorological Service (SMN) of Conagua, a heatwave is declared "when in a region, during five or more days, the average maximum temperature of that period is exceeded... It leads to clear skies and, therefore, more hours of solar radiation."

SMN forecasts that 22 states will be recording temperatures above 95° Fahrenheit, nine of which will have maximum temperatures of 104 degrees: Colima, southwest of the State of Mexico, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, southwest of Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas.

SMN warned the public that if they don't drink water regularly and fail to avoid exposure to direct sunlight, the high temperatures could be detrimental to their health.

"A heatwave that can last for weeks causes serious health effects, from excessive tiredness and sweating to life-threatening heatstroke or sunstroke."