Thousands of fish die in Mexican lagoon due to extreme drought

Fish cover the surface of a lagoon in Mexico after water levels became dangerously low due to a prolonged dry period.

Thousands of dead fish were floating on the surface of the Bustillos Lagoon near the city of Anahuac in Chihuahua in northern Mexico over the weekend, Reuters reports. Temperatures there rose to 40 degrees after a long dry spell and water levels were dangerously low, officials said.

The region has not seen significant rainfall in several years, Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist at Accuweather, told USA TODAY.

“In general, it’s dry here,” Kines said. “Most of the rainfall is in July, August and September, and if they miss that rainfall, they’re basically lost.”

Why did the fish die?

According to Irma de la Pena, head of the ecology department of the city of Cuauhtemoc, there is much less water in the fish habitats and the water that remains is of poor quality.

“When the amount of water decreases, the pollutants become more concentrated and thus also affect the species that live here,” says De la Pena.

90% affected by Mexico

The drought is so severe that livestock are dying because water reserves are running low.

Around 90 percent of the country is affected by drought; the country has been the region most affected by extreme weather events since 2011.

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