In Mexico, a once glittering lake is being sucked dry by development, drought and lawlessness

VALLE DE BRAVO, Mexico (AP) — Once a glittering weekend getaway for wealthy residents of Mexico City, Valle de Bravo has been reduced to a shrinking, increasingly polluted patch of mud flats and water by a combination of drought, water transfers to the capital, bad planning and lawlessness.

Residents said Thursday that Valle — as the reservoir has been known since the 1940s — is being drained by Mexico City’s refusal to fix broken pipes that waste much of its water, as well as the unrestrained construction of private dams and holding ponds by suspiciously wealthy and powerful newcomers.

In a country where the government appears not to listen and gang violence is common, residents and activists can only watch as their beloved lake disappears. The National Water Commission, known by its Spanish initials as Conagua, has done little to remedy the problem.

Moises Jaramillo is one of the tour boat operators who has made his living taking less-monied tourists around the lake for years (the wealthy use their own sailboats). Jaramillo says of the Conagua officials, “they don’t do anything. Their response is to come and intimidate us.”