Drought conditions around the world are threatening communities’ access to water.
In Mathis, Texas, which normally draws water from Lake Corpus Christi, water levels will likely soon be too low to draw water from the lake, NBC News reports.
What is happening?
Mathis, a small city of about 4,300 people in South Texas, is struggling to address its drinking water situation in the midst of a drought.
“It’s not like we’re running out of water or we’re going to be completely dry,” Mathis City Manager Cedric Davis told NBC News. “It will be difficult to get clean water out of the lake because we will carry mud with the water.”
While they normally draw water from Lake Corpus Christi, low water levels could result in cloudy, undrinkable water. It can also damage water infrastructure, including pipes and filtration systems.
According to Water Data for Texas, Lake Corpus Christi was only 15% full as of October 3, 2025. At the same time, the U.S. Drought Monitor classified the county in the abnormally dry to moderate drought range.
The drought highlights the problems that communities around the world will face as climate change intensifies hot and dry conditions.
Why are more intense droughts important?
Droughts are not a new meteorological phenomenon. However, the scientific consensus is that human-caused climate change has supercharged weather patterns, and these intensified versions of natural disasters are more dangerous than ever.
Scientists argue that an increase of every tenth of a degree in the global average temperature will have significant impacts on the climate.
Prolonged dry periods can pose serious risks to the global food supply. Without rain and adequate access to water supplies, farmers cannot maintain their crops. This leads to lower quality crops and lower yields.
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Droughts can also wreak havoc on ecosystems. On land, droughts can damage soil health and wither vegetation, which has ripple effects on wildlife that depend on them for shelter and food. In water, ecosystems can shrink as the water dries up, leading to the loss of plants and wildlife.
What is being done about droughts?
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has developed a Drought Response Program to help water managers proactively plan and adapt to upcoming drought threats. Some scientists have also been developing drought-resistant crop varieties.
For the city of Mathis, Texas, NBC reports that the city is attempting to dig emergency wells to keep water accessible to residents.
“If everything matches up and we can get the wells ready by the end of December, we’ll be fine,” Davis told NBC.
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