The arrival of the La Niña phenomenon during the month of September could bring copious rains that benefit the storage levels of the state’s main dams, said the former Conagua delegate in the state, Kamel Athie Flores, since during previous months, although there has been rainfall in much of the state, it has not been sufficient to raise the level of the dams, especially those that use water for agricultural activity, where extraction still continues.
There is still hope for 2025, reiterated water expert Kamel Athié.
Despite the forecast of rain that prevailed during the week, the main dams in the state have maintained a constant decrease in water levels. As of the report of August 9, the Boquilla, the largest dam in the state, presented a storage level of 17.41 percent, with a reduction of half a percentage point compared to Friday, August 2, when it registered 17.95.
On the other hand, the Las Vírgenes dam decreased its storage by one percentage point, going from 16.21 percent in the same period to 15.25 percent yesterday. El Granero was the dam with the greatest decrease, reaching 63.41 percent in one week, decreasing from 65.71.
These dams, which are the main ones used for the agricultural irrigation cycle, continue to lower their levels despite the rainfall that has not been significant enough to increase the stored water, which should be accumulated for the next cycle in 2025.
In this regard, the former commissioner recalled that in District 005 alone, which represents Delicias and is one of the largest in the state, the concession is for 1,080 million cubic meters annually, which this year represented 52 percent of the total that will continue to be released from the La Boquilla dam until September.
“The rains have not been generous, they are insufficient. In the north of the country there has been no rain, the dams in Sinaloa and Sonora are at their lowest level in history, as is the case in Chihuahua, which is where the largest irrigation zones in the country are located,” Athié emphasized.
However, he said there is still hope that the dams will be replenished, which would be positive for the 2025 agricultural cycle.
“Right now, the meteorological phenomenon of La Niña has not yet arrived, but it is expected in the months of September, October and November and that would bring rain to Chihuahua. We must remember that there are three phenomena starting in the area of Ecuador and Peru and these phenomena are El Niño, La Niña and a neutral part. When El Niño disappears (in 2024) we are in a neutral period, but when La Niña arrives it could last for a whole year,” the expert added.
He pointed out that this phenomenon brings with it a variety of cyclones that, if they make landfall in the North Pacific, would bring water from the Northwest. “I am hopeful that this will happen according to the forecasts that have been presented. But even if it rains a lot, the dams might not recover,” he said, adding that this could impact food prices since none of the 85 irrigation districts in the country irrigated at 100 percent, but rather at quotas of just over half.
However, if cyclones can bring humidity and rain, and with the closing of the dam gates due to the end of the agricultural cycle, this would allow storage, although it remains to be seen what levels the state’s main dams could reach.
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