Southern Mexico's Indigenous Community Struggling With Heat Wave And Devastating Drought

In the highlands of southeastern Mexico's Chiapas state, an indigenous community is grappling with the depletion of its water sources due to a severe drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon and the impact of climate change.

According to Yendi Alvarez Chacon, the head of hydrometeorology at the local office of the National Water Commission (Conagua), approximately 65 percent of Chiapas state, consisting of 124 municipalities, has recently been affected by droughts.

"We're having less rain than usual. From January to June, it's been 36 percent below average. Starting in March, a decrease in precipitation was observed, and now in the month of June we're at 75 percent below the monthly average," she said in remarks to the media, adding that the drought conditions are expected to continue.

The Guadalupe Xu'kun community, belonging to the Tzotzil Maya group and located within the Zinacantan municipality, relies on corn farming and ranching as their primary livelihood.

However, they have been facing an alarming situation as they have been deprived of water for several consecutive days, affecting both their daily consumption and crop cultivation.

Local residents informed Efe that the persistent drought and scorching sun have further exacerbated the situation, resulting in the burning of their plants and agricultural produce.

"It hasn't rained. It hasn't rained at all. We're now suffering from thirst. There's no water," local resident Ernesto Hernandez told Efe.

Drought conditions have escalated across Mexico, impacting approximately two-thirds of the country's regions, according to Conagua.

Luvia Gutierrez Sanchez, a housewife and mother of five children below the age of 12, expressed their distress, stating, "We've already planted (our seeds), but they've already dried up because of the heat. The heat is really strong."

In a state of desperation and concern, the affected population has turned to social media platforms to draw the attention of authorities towards the urgent requirement for water supplies until their natural water sources can replenish, La Prensa Latina reported.

"Misfortune has arrived. The truth is that right now there's nothing in the well ... day and night we're waiting," Gabino Perez Hernandez, an inhabitant of Guadalupe Xu'kun said.

In response to the plea for assistance, the Perez Hernandez family took a compassionate step and provided humanitarian relief to the drought-stricken community by supplying them with over 12,000 liters of water.