However, the levels of the state’s other bodies of water began to decline on December 18.
View of the lake from the Ajijic beach, in front of the boardwalk. Photo: D. Arturo Ortega.
According to the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), the dams in Jalisco are at better levels than last year. The Calderón Dam is at 70 percent of its capacity and Lake Chapala is at 67 percent.
During the 2021 storm, the lake gained 1.90 meters, while the dams captured more than 80 percent of their total volume. However, the levels of the state’s bodies of water began to decline on December 18.
An acute drought in Jalisco for the coming months has been predicted, based on studies by researchers from the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO), the Atlas de Vulnerabilidad Hídrica en México ante el Cambio Climático, CONAGUA, and the Monitor de Sequía Nacional.
These studies determined that, as of March 3, 2021, areas considered abnormally dry increased from 24 percent to 46.6 percent in the current year; and at least 91 municipalities in Jalisco began the dry season in a moderate drought.
However, compared to last year, the dam basins’ recovery has improved. The Calderón dam, currently at 70 percent capacity, was at 16 percent compared to last year. The Vaqueros dam in the north of the state went from 26 to 77 percent of its capacity.
This led Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez to share a positive message on social networks as part of World Water Day commemoration on March 22. «Despite the difficulties we have gone through, our dams and Lake Chapala are at much better levels now than last year. But we cannot slack off; if we want water for the future, we must raise awareness and how to use it wisely as a way of life.»
Translated by MaryAnne Marble
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