As a result of a historic drought, water supplies to some US states and Mexico will be cut off to avoid a “catastrophic collapse” of the Colorado River, Washington officials said Tuesday. More than two decades of well below-average rainfall have left the river at critical levels, as human-caused climate change worsens the natural drought cycle.
States failed to cut their usage despite drought warnings
Despite years of warnings and a deadline imposed by Washington, states depend on the river. They have not managed to agree on a plan to cut their usage. It was on Tuesday that the federal government said it was stepping in.
“In order to avoid a catastrophic collapse of the Colorado River System and a future of uncertainty and conflict, water use in the Basin must be reduced,” said Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science at the US Interior Department.
Reductions in allocation
In 2023, Arizona’s allocation from the river will be reduced by 21 percent. On the other hand, Nevada’s allocation will be reduced by eight percent. There will be a reduction of 7per cent in Mexico’s allotment. Moreover, California, the biggest user of the river’s water and the most populous of the western states, will not be affected next year. ()
The Colorado River rises in the Rocky Mountains and snakes its way through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, and northern Mexico. At last, it empties into the Gulf of California.
With California exempted from any cuts, officials in upstream states hit out Tuesday at what they saw as an unfair settlement. “It is unacceptable for Arizona to continue to carry a disproportionate burden of reductions for the benefit of others who have not contributed,” said a statement by Tom Buschatzke, director of the state’s Department of Water Resources, and Ted Cooke, general manager of the Central Arizona Project.
What do officials have to say about climate change?
“The worsening drought crisis impacting the Colorado River Basin is driven by the effects of climate change, including extreme heat and low precipitation,” he said. Adding to it, “In turn, severe drought conditions exacerbate wildfire risk and ecosystem disruption, increasing the stress on communities and our landscapes.”
The western United States is suffering under a drought that is now in its 23rd year. It is the worst episode in more than 1,000 years.
