Queretaro municipalities remain between severe and moderate drought

Queretaro. Qro. Of the 18 municipalities in the state, 17 remain between moderate and severe drought, according to the report as of January 15, 2023 from the National Water Commission (Conagua).

Arroyo Seco is the only demarcation that is in abnormally dry conditions, a circumstance that it has maintained since December 15, 2022, previously it was in moderate drought; it is a period of dryness, which occurs at the beginning or end of the drought (the abnormally dry condition).

Meanwhile, eight more municipalities suffer from moderate drought (the first of four degrees of drought): Pinal de Amoles, Colón, Corregidora, Ezequiel Montes, Jalpan de Serra, Landa de Matamoros, El Marqués and Querétaro.

When there is a moderate drought, explains Conagua, there is damage to crops and pastures, as well as a high risk of fires, as well as low levels in rivers, streams, reservoirs, watering holes and wells; In this environment, voluntary restrictions on the use of water are suggested.

The remaining nine municipalities are in severe drought (the second of the four levels): Amealco de Bonfil, Cadereyta de Montes, Huimilpan, Pedro Escobedo, Peñamiller, San Joaquin, San Juan del Rio, Tequisquiapan and Toliman.

In the severe one there are probable losses in crops or pastures, in the same way there is a high risk of fires, water scarcity is common and restrictions must be imposed on the use of water.

In the country, Querétaro is one of the six states with 100% of its surface affected, from abnormally dry to some degree of drought, along with Aguascalientes, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Jalisco and Nuevo León.

Regarding the Queretaro territory, 35.2% is abnormally dry, 35.5% moderate and 29.3% severe; therefore, it does not present neither extreme nor exceptional, the other two categories of drought.

However, it remains the state with the highest percentage of municipalities with drought, compared to the state as a whole, with 94.4% of its demarcations affected.

In this way, it exceeds the national average, which is 35.4%, that is, 873 of the 2,461 municipalities in the country, the majority (658) are moderate, 212 severe, and three extreme.

percentages

After Querétaro, other states with the highest percentage of their municipalities affected are Hidalgo with 91.7%, Sinaloa with 88.9%, Durango with 82.1 and Michoacán with 81.4 percent.

The only entities that do not report drought affectation in any of their municipalities are Campeche, Chiapas, Mexico City, Morelos and Tabasco, Conagua exposes.

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