Water became an extremely scarce commodity in Monterrey during the worst of the drought, with residents going days at a time without water access.
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García has declared that the state’s water crisis is over, but warned citizens they must reduce their water use to ensure there is enough of the vital liquid for future generations.
“We no longer have a crisis,” the Citizens Movement party governor said at the launch of a water-saving campaign on Sunday.
Like many states, Nuevo León has been affected by drought, and harsh water restrictions were implemented in the metropolitan area of Monterrey in early June. But recent rains replenished dams in the northern border state, allowing authorities to ease restrictions.
“All of us now have water in our homes,” García said at Sunday’s event, held in the municipality of Santiago, where the La Boca dam is located.
“In the new Nuevo León, we are working so that there’s water for everyone,” says a new government public service announcement that urges residents to save water for future generations.Estamos haciendo todo lo que está en nuestras manos para que haya agua en Nuevo León: bombardeamos nubes, recuperamos agua robada, hacemos nuevos pozos y muchas acciones más que están contempladas en nuestro plan para garantizar el agua hasta el 2050. ¡Hazlo ahorra! pic.twitter.com/4GMChFNDTb
— Samuel García (@samuel_garcias) July 14, 2022
“We’re no longer in crisis, but now comes the most important thing – we have to set an example in looking after water,” he said.
The governor and his wife, Mariana Rodríguez, launched a campaign called “Ciudadanos de 100,” which encourages citizens to use no more than 100 liters of water per day.
“It’s very important for us to promote a new water culture,” García said. “… We’re going to make the effort to consume [no more than] 100 liters per day. If we want there to always be water, we have to always look after it.”
The governor and Rodríguez, a social media influencer who heads up a state government agency called Amar a Nuevo León (Love Nuevo León), advocated water-saving measures such as taking short showers, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth and using a bucket to wash your car.
“We’re going to be citizens that consume less than 100 liters [of water] per day and in that way we’re going to guarantee that there is always water for our children and grandchildren,” García said.
Rodríguez said that entire families must make the decision to “build new habits and a new water-saving culture.”
“If we’re all part of the problem, we’re all part of the solution, so let’s be ciudadanos de 100 [model citizens] in water [usage] and everything,” she said.
With reports from Milenio
