Bottled water shortages have been reported in five northern border states: Nuevo León, Coahuila, Baja California, Chihuahua and Sonora.

Water restrictions in Monterrey led to panic buying of bottled water in the Nuevo León capital. That led to shortages at supermarkets and convenience stores.

The president of ANPEC, a national small business association, told the newspaper Milenio that natural water resources are also limited in Coahuila, Baja California, Chihuahua and Sonora, leading residents of those states to buy greater quantities of bottled water, which has also generated shortages.

“The north of the country is very hot and the dog days of summer that are drawing near will be very strong,” Cuauhtémoc Rivera said, adding that the heat and higher demand for water has diminished dams.

He said that the supply of water to retailers has been problematic because suppliers have insufficient stock of some bottled water products. Consumers are snapping up whatever they can find, Rivera said.

The ANPEC chief also said that bottled water prices have increased 5-6% this year, which is below the 10% spike across the broader beverages category.

With reports from Milenio and El Financiero