Drought in Mexico reaches critical levels as lakes dry up

Authorities fear that once-thriving bodies of water that served surrounding communities may turn into dusty plains.

Drought conditions now cover 85 percent of Mexico, and residents of the nation’s central region said Thursday that lakes and reservoirs are simply drying up, including the country’s second-largest body of freshwater. The mayor of Mexico City said the drought was the worst in 30 years, and the problem can be seen at the reservoirs that store water from other states to supply the capital. Some of them, like the Villa Victoria reservoir west of the capital, are at one-third of their normal capacity, with a month and a half to go before any significant rain is expected.