As one of the three host cities for the World Cup in Mexico, Guadalajara—and its metropolitan area within the state of Jalisco—is facing a severe crisis: a security crisis (ranking first nationwide for disappearances), a public transport crisis (expensive and of poor quality), and now, a crisis regarding its drinking water supply—water that is blackish in color, foul-smelling, and contaminated with “fecal coliforms.”
With the start of the global tournament just two months away, the administration of Pablo Lemus—of the Citizens’ Movement party—has seen a convergence of structural problems. Now, a water crisis has erupted—one that his predecessor from the same party, Enrique Alfaro, had supposedly resolved.
However, the murky, foul-smelling water currently flowing into homes across various neighborhoods in Guadalajara and the metropolitan area reveals a very different reality. “It looked yellow and brown,” recounts Araceli Hernández, a resident of the municipality of Zapopan, in an interview.
“It had been coming out like that for days; I felt disgusted just taking a shower. Obviously, I didn’t rinse my teeth with that water because, honestly—it really is repulsive.” This past Monday, the 23rd, the water finally came out looking better—or so she believes. “I’m not sure if I just got used to the smell, or if it actually did come out cleaner.”
