In just a few decades, Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán has lost half its water.
The culprits are drought, heat waves, and water theft, as Phys.org reported in July. Last year, rainfall in Mexico dropped to the lowest output since at least 1941. This year, heat waves — enhanced by these conditions, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — swept the country.
Almost all of Mexico has been experiencing a drought for nearly two years, and Pátzcuaro is in an extreme drought, per NOAA.
The other problem for the area's lake is that avocado producers are "illegally extracting water … to irrigate their fields," Phys.org said. Deforestation — people are clearing trees to plant avocado groves — is one more, and it's all sapping the cultural, economic, and ecological importance of the area, known for its Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, festivities, per CBC.
"The lake is very important because it is also the fountain of so many stories, so many legends, history," Arturo Pimentel, president of a hotel association, told the station. "It's a fountain of life. And we're losing that part of this area.
"... As business people here, we have to develop some different tourism attractions and have other options."
There is work being done to restore the lake, as Phys.org noted. It includes clearing and cleaning the springs that feed it by removing mud, plants, and waste.
"We've exceeded our goals," biologist Julio Cesar Bernal told the outlet. "Fifteen new springs have been discovered that are producing a new quantity of absolutely crystalline, clean water, which flows directly into the lake."
Officials are also hoping to rejuvenate Lake Pátzcuaro by releasing 50,000 fish before 2025. This includes 10,000 native silverside fish that were released in mid-July. Locals rely on fishing and farming to earn a living, all per Phys.org.
The conservation effort includes police officers who guard the lake, as CBC showed with an arresting photograph.
But there is a long way to go. A viral video of the dry lakebed garnered worldwide attention, demonstrating just how dire the situation is.
Pimentel urged politicians to take action.
"I think this is a matter of survival right now, because it is not only a tourism matter but what we will leave to the next [generation] in this area," he told CBC.
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