‘We’re Going to Be Out of Water’: Navajo Nation Dying of Thirst – Idle No More
by Laura Paskus
For centuries, the Diné people have raised their families and livestock on the high desert lands of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. They have survived even the most difficult of conditions. But as drought has dragged on, more or less for two decades—and the climate continues to warm—some are saying the tribal government needs to better protect its water resources and undertake more long-term planning.
“When you’re living in the desert, you don’t expect it to get even worse,” said Russell Begaye, a Navajo Nation Tribal Council Delegate from Shiprock, NM. He pointed out that reservoir levels are dropping, farming plots are becoming sandier, and the rain- and snowfall have declined.
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