Five Honduran cities, in addition to the capital, are rationing potable water due to shortages of rainfall attributed to the climate phenomenon known as El Niño, according to officials. Five Honduran cities, in addition to the capital, are rationing potable water due to shortages of rainfall attributed to the climate phenomenon known as El Niño, according to officials.

El Niño/Southern Oscillation occurs when the surface temperatures of the equatorial Pacific increase and flow towards the South American coasts.

La Entrada, in the west, and Juticalpa, in the northeast, are cities “that face serious water problems and have been forced to ration,” Danilo Alvarado, of the Autonomous National Aqueduct and Sewage Service, told Tierramérica.

Similar reports are coming from the western city of La Paz, the northwestern El Progreso and southern Danlí, due to drought and problems at water purification plants.

Tegucigalpa faces the most dramatic crisis: the volume of its two main reservoirs has dropped more than 40 percent since June.