Valle de Bravo dam's water extraction is called off by Conagua due to a critically low storage level.

Mexico City is currently grappling with a water crisis as authorities have decided to stop taking water from the Valle de Bravo reservoir due to complaints about receiving dirty or contaminated water.

The Valle de Bravo reservoir, located in central Mexico, is rapidly emptying, and some neighborhoods in Mexico City have reported water smelling of oil or gasoline. This decision was made by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) of Mexico, the authority responsible for the decision.

The Valle de Bravo reservoir serves as a crucial water source for Mexico City, but its emptiness has negatively impacted tourism and real estate prices in the area. Normally, the reservoir would be teeming with water, but this year, Mexico has received 29.6% less rain nationwide than in an average year.

The El Bosque reservoir, relatively unpopulated and a little farther from the capital, is now supplying the city's water needs. However, this change has not been without issues. In March, one of the capital's rainwater catchment basins, the El Cristo basin, caught fire, scorching 75 acres (30 hectares) of dried-up vegetation. The fire occurred due to so little water moving through the drainage system that sewage had stagnated, allowing gases to accumulate.

The El Cristo basin is one of a series of large holding ponds meant to hold excess water from storm drains in Mexico City. These basins act as a buffer for the city, which is located in a high mountain valley with no natural outlet, to manage sudden rushes of rainwater that tend to overwhelm the man-made drains. Normally, the basins are so green from previous rains that residents sometimes used them in the past as impromptu soccer fields or for grazing animals.

Residents of Valle de Bravo complain that their reservoir is being drained due to Mexico City's refusal to fix broken pipes. They argue that the city should address its own infrastructure problems instead of relying on their resources.

As Mexico City continues to grapple with this water crisis, authorities are working to find solutions and ensure the city's residents have access to clean and safe water.