Amid drought, Mexican city cuts daily water access to 6 hours

In response to an unprecedented drought in the region, a Mexican city in the border state of Nuevo Leon is limiting daily water supply to inhabitants to only a six-hour window, authorities announced Friday.

The city of Monterrey, a major corporate center with a population of 5.3 million people, will allow water consumption from 4 a.m. until 10 a.m. every day. Its prior regulation stipulated that water may only be used for one day each week, depending on the locality.

The action is the latest by officials to address the region’s water issues. According to city water director Juan Ignacio Barragan, demand presently outpaces supply by around 2.5 cubic meters per second.

In February, the state of Nuevo Leon declared a state of emergency for “severe drought” due to rising temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Since 2015, the area has received less rain than projected, according to Barragan.