Water lily invades Allende Dam

Published September 27th, 2021

The Allende Dam, which is currently at 83% of its capacity, shows recovery in its storage level, however, the water lily has begun to plague the body of water, a risk for the conservation of the level.

Currently, the lirio covers the rivers and lakes in 27 of the 32 states of the Mexican Republic, it has a minimum extension of 50 thousand hectares, and to exterminate it, crushing machines are used, cleaning one hectare of lirio has a cost of 70 thousand pesos.

Among the disadvantages of the water lily, in addition to its uncontrollable multiplication, it causes water levels to drop, generates oxygenation problems in the water, and creates conditions for birds and fish to develop a normal life.

With the recent rains, thousands of plants have been washed from the Laja River into Presa Allende, causing the body of water to turn green and lilac.

Fishermen from the Begoña Community indicate that this is a serious problem for them because it reduces fish production, complicates navigation, and “dries up” the dam. They hope in the near future, when the rain stops, to begin work to remove all the water lilies, also known as “Jacinto de agua” (water hyacinth).