Elected to office on June 2 and sworn in on Oct. 5, Brugada announced the strategy during the inauguration of the city’s first Agua Bienestar purification plant in the Coyoacán borough on Monday.

The plant is going to help solve water problems, as well, the Morena party member noted. Starting next Monday, 19-liter garrafones (jugs) of purified water will be sold mainly to low-income residents and those in areas that suffer from chronic shortages — for only five pesos (US 24 cents) each, with an additional 80 pesos (US $3.83) up-front cost for the reusable plastic jug.

A filled 19- or 20-liter garrafón in Mexico generally retails for 48 to 60 pesos (US $2.30 to $2.87), although self-fill purification stations can cut the cost to about 13 to 26 pesos (US 62 cents to $1.24).

This part of the strategy aims to alleviate financial strain on families who are hit harder than others because of repeated water woes in their areas. The program will initially serve 738 neighborhoods and districts lacking sufficient water infrastructure that are sometimes subject to rationing.

“I want to make it very clear that Agua Bienestar solves part of the problem, but the underlying problem — the problem of water scarcity — will be addressed with sectorization, redistribution, infrastructure, water balance and sustainability,” Brugada said. “That is the way we are going to solve things.”

Brugada said a good start is reducing by 50% the city’s reliance on water from the Cutzamala System, so the three main reservoirs that feed it can recover.

Though abundant July rains in Michoacán and México state — home to Cutzamala’s largest reservoirs — helped boost CDMX’s water supply, drought conditions persist and the Cutzamala System currently is operating at 65% capacity.

The National Water Commission (Conagua) has noted that the Cutzamala System supplies around 28% of the capital’s water. This summer, the system was briefly shut off for repairs.

“At least for two years, we will receive only half of what Cutzamala supplied us last year, ensuring its long-term viability,” the mayor said.

Brugada also detailed plans to infiltrate more rainwater into aquifers, which supply 70% of Mexico City’s water.

She said investment will focus on reviewing, maintaining and improving well infrastructure; setting up water-treatment facilities in more communities; and implementing automated systems to monitor and resolve water supply issues promptly.

Brugada said 15 billion pesos (US $718.5 million) will be allocated for these water initiatives; that’s out of the 291.5 billion pesos (US $13.98 billion) that she proposed last week for Mexico City’s overall 2025 budget.

“A large part of the resources will be used to guarantee that the existing wells function and provide the amount of water that should be,” she said.

Brugada’s government aims to construct at least one purification plant in each of CDMX’s 16 boroughs, with some areas receiving up to four. This expansion, supported by 30 million pesos (US $1.45 million) at the outset, is expected to produce 200,000 jugs per month by the end of 2025.

“We’re prioritizing areas where water scarcity and poverty intersect,” Brugada said, adding that no individual application process is required. “This is about addressing systemic inequality in water access.”

“This is an immediate step to support those who need it most while we work on long-term solutions,” added Mario Esparza, Mexico City’s minister of water management. He also assured residents that the purified water meets the highest quality standards.

Brugada said her administration is committed to resolving water shortages citywide by 2027, in equitable and sustainable ways.

With reports from El Universal and La Jornada

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Given the ever-accelerating impacts of climate change, reporting about water resources often falls into the alarmist category. We wanted to change that narrative.

Launched this year, MND’s Water in Mexico series examines the critical issues facing Mexico’s water resources by focusing on the brilliant ideas, people and companies providing hope and solutions.

Here’s a look back at the highlights of this special series, which tells the story of water in Mexico as it evolved throughout 2024.

A crisis point?

In the spring of 2024, residents of Mexico City prepared for an impending “Day Zero” that — fortunately — never came.

In May, nearly 76% of Mexico was experiencing drought conditions, according to the Drought Monitoring Agency of the National Meteorological Service (SMN). The capital’s Cutzamala System, which supplies water for approximately 22 million people, was below 30% of its capacity.

By many international media accounts — the Associated Press, Bloomberg and the Washington Post, among others — the city was set to reach “Day Zero,” a day when not a single drop of water would fall from the faucets, on June 26.

“Day Zero” didn’t happen in 2024. But could it happen in 2025?

As Nancy Moya writes, “With Mexico’s water crisis deepening, the nation’s ability to manage its most vital resource is increasingly at stake.”

Learn more about the particular problems impacting Mexico’s water security and what experts suggest should be done:

Mexico’s water crisis: Day Zero and the looming threat of scarcity

Private sector support

While Mexico’s water crisis dominated headlines in 2024, another trend captured international attention: nearshoring.

These issues are inextricably linked, as the success of nearshoring initiatives heavily depends on the availability and reliability of water resources and infrastructure.

In the first quarter of 2024, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico reached a record US $20.3 billion, representing a 9% increase compared to the same period in 2023. As we approach the end of 2024, estimates indicate that Mexico is on track to break last year’s top sum of $36 billion.

While industrial water consumption currently represents only 4% of Mexico’s total water usage, the influx of new businesses is putting pressure on the available infrastructure and supply.

Mexico currently invests less than 1% of its GDP in infrastructure development when it should allocate at least 5%, according to the president of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC) Francisco Solares.

Fortunately, the increased presence of foreign companies through nearshoring could potentially catalyze the necessary infrastructure investments to mitigate water scarcity. As businesses relocate to Mexico, they bring not only economic opportunities but also the potential for technological advancements and sustainable practices in water management.

Siemens, for example, is developing automation and electrification technologies that could have a significant impact on the water and energy industries in Mexico. Read more about them here:

Siemens shows how industry can help solve Mexico’s water and energy challenges: A perspective from our CEO

And in November, President Claudia Sheinbaum made it clear she supports “sharing the weight” of water security with the business sector.

Mexico’s governors sign Sheinbaum pact to improve water use by industry

Read about Sheinbaum’s new national Water Plan here.

Community-led solutions

In addition to the private sector, communities across Mexico are spearheading innovative solutions to Mexico’s water crisis — from rainwater harvesting systems to water-efficient agriculture.

Mexico’s water crisis is complicated by widespread contamination, with a 2020 study finding that 8.8 million people are exposed to unsafe arsenic levels and over 3 million to excessive fluoride levels.

What’s polluting Mexico’s groundwater?

Organizations like Caminos de Agua are addressing this through water treatment plants and rainwater harvesting, while researchers at UNAM are developing electro-deionization techniques to remove contaminants.

Meanwhile, the Tikkun Eco Center in San Miguel de Allende is working to improve water access through their Agua Para la Vida project, which restores water reservoirs and implements reforestation efforts, successfully rehabilitating the San José de Gracia reservoir to hold 45 million liters of water.

Restoring water to San Miguel de Allende, one reservoir at a time

As we look ahead to 2025, we remain committed to spotlighting initiatives that bolster Mexico’s water security. We invite our readers to be active participants in this crucial dialogue. If you’re aware of or involved in any water-related projects or innovations, we encourage you to share them with us at editorial@mexiconewsdaily.com.

Find the rest of our year in water headlines here.

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San Miguel de Allende’s water crisis

The region of San Miguel de Allende has always relied on its short rainy season for most of its water. However, climate change is putting everyone at risk, while rural farming communities feel the highest impact.

It’s hard to imagine, but the arid landscape around San Miguel de Allende was once flourishing with forests that attracted rain and cooled the land. These forests were a vital part of the Laja River watershed, playing a key role in replenishing aquifers and maintaining steady rainfall. 

Over time, however, overdevelopment, drought and erosion have destroyed much of this tree cover. Without the cooling effect of the forests, the exposed land absorbs heat, disrupts rainfall patterns and becomes even drier, a destructive cycle known as the “watershed death spiral.”

Abandoned reservoirs and overexploited wells

Another key factor contributing to the region’s current water crisis is the shift in how water is sourced. Rural farming communities once depended on rainwater reservoirs to endure the long dry season. However, with the arrival of electricity in the late 20th century, communities began drilling deep wells, which quickly became their main water source. As a result, rainwater reservoirs were abandoned and left to deteriorate.

Large-scale agribusiness has severely overexploited deep wells, depleting aquifers faster than they can replenish. As a result, many wells have already run dry, and the remaining water is often polluted with toxic levels of arsenic and fluoride. This contamination poses serious health risks and further exacerbates the region’s water crisis.

Tikkun Eco Center and Agua Para la Vida

Non-profit Tikkun Eco Center is stepping in to tackle this crisis. Through its Agua Para la Vida project, the Tikkun team focuses on restoring and reforesting water reservoirs to improve environmental and community health.

In 2022, Tikkun set out to restore the historic reservoir in the San Miguel neighborhood of San José de Gracia, a resource that had served four villages for over 200 years. Once a vital water source, the reservoir had deteriorated into little more than a mud flat after years of neglect. When the local aquifer could no longer meet the community’s needs, villagers were forced to ration water, receiving only two hours of well water per week per family, barely enough for personal use, let alone farming or livestock.

Breathing life back into the land

In just one month, Agua Para la Vida removed over 1,400 truckloads of silt and soil from the San José reservoir. Later, they raised the reservoir’s edges, reinforced the dam and installed water management systems. Thanks to these efforts, the San Jose de Gracia reservoir is now capable of holding 45 million liters of water.

The excavated soil didn’t go to waste: it became the foundation for reforestation. Tikkun donated over 100 native tree saplings and hundreds of magueys, while the San Miguel Municipal Ecology Department (DMAS) contributed an additional 1,000 native trees and cacti that were all planted by volunteers. When the rains came, the reservoir filled and Tikkun stocked it with tilapia from their own ponds.

A global movement for ecological restoration

Tikkun Eco Center’s work is part of a global movement to heal degraded ecosystems. Restoring local forests and promoting sustainable agricultural systems is essential for reversing the damage caused by deforestation and desertification. Around the world, communities facing similar challenges have achieved remarkable success.

In Asia, Africa and Australia, reforestation efforts and sustainable water practices have turned barren landscapes into thriving ecosystems. These projects bring back green spaces and improve food security, water availability and local economies, offering hope and inspiration for regions like San Miguel de Allende.

The recipe for healthy ecosystems

Tikkun Eco Center specializes in restoring reservoirs and laying the foundation for regenerative agriculture. Their approach includes keeping fields green year-round with cover crops and intercropping trees. Permaculture methods guide their work, transforming fields into food forests that blend trees with deep-rooted grasses to create a cooler, more biodiverse ecosystem. This approach captures carbon, provides habitats for bees and beneficial insects, restores eroded soils and improves rainwater absorption.

Scaling up the impact

Tikkun Eco Center continues to expand its impact by partnering with experts and securing funding for vital projects. With support from the Rio Arronte Fund for Natural Resources and the San Miguel Community Foundation, Tikkun has teamed up with local water-focused NGO Caminos de Agua and Querétaro-based Inana to restore the community reservoir of Los Torres, another San Miguel neighborhood.

This work is just the beginning. The region has hundreds of abandoned reservoirs. Scaling up these efforts could transform the area. Tikkun’s holistic model of ecological repair has shown what’s possible. Still, more action and support are needed to expand the scope and reach of these efforts.

Visit TikkunSanMiguel.mx to learn more about how you can help.

Sandra Gancz Kahan is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: sandragancz@gmail.com

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The BCS lawmakers approved several other points of order, including an invitation to Environment and Natural Resources Minister Alicia Bárcena to explain the federal government’s position on the issue to the state Congress.

The BCS deputies characterized the project as a social and environmental disaster waiting to happen as the mining operation would impact two wildlife protection areas, one in each state. The mining operation will require an estimated 9 million cubic meters of water per year, according to Mexicana del Arco’s parent company, Grupo México.

A separate point of order, according to the newspaper El Independiente, calls on the Baja California Congress to reject the El Arco mine project.  The mine could begin production as soon as 2030, El Sudcaliforniano newspaper reported.

The proposed El Arco open-pit mine, possibly extending to 50,000 hectares, has the potential to be one of the largest mines in the world, producing up to 15.5 billion pounds of copper, 3.5 million ounces of gold and unknown quantities of zinc and molybdenum.

In 2021, Grupo México — the world’s fifth-largest copper producer and Mexico’s third-biggest company by market capitalization — said the El Arco mine could produce 190,000 tonnes of copper annually once operations begin. El Sudcaliforniano reported that the mine could likely be operated for 50 years before the minerals are exhausted.

The primary issue prompting the BCS Congress to take action is water usage, but there are other concerns as well.

The El Arco mine is located in the Valle de los Cirios Flora and Fauna Protection Area in Baja California. The water it intends to utilize would impact the El Vizcaíno aquifer, which is primarily located under the adjacent El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in Baja California Sur.

According to El Sudcaliforniano, BCS lawmakers objected to the fact that Mexicana del Arco was allowed to carry out the water availability study, which was accepted by Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua).

Conagua not only accepted the results of the study — which reported water well in excess of historical records — but also created a new aquifer administration entity to manage water taken out of the newly designated “Llanos de Berrendo” aquifer in Baja California.

The BCS lawmakers say the misrepresentation of the water available in the Valle de los Cirios means the mine will actually be siphoning water from the El Vizcaíno aquifer which sits within one of the most arid areas of Baja California Sur and already presents an annual deficit of nearly 500,000 cubic meters, according to Conagua.

In addition to the water issue, the Congress noted concerns over the degradation of soil caused by open-pit mining and the damage to endemic fauna, especially the peninsular pronghorn, an endangered species known as a berrendo in Mexico.

With reports from El Sudcaliforniano and El Independiente

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Such is the case of the municipalities of Dolores Hidalgo and San Diego de la Unión, located in northwestern Guanajuato state. Both cities are tourism powerhouses: one of Mexico’s 132 Magical Towns, Dolores Hidalgo is known as the cradle of Mexican Independence. San Diego de la Unión, on the other hand, is part of Guanajuato’s Wine Route and is famous for its escamoles, Mexico’s answer to caviar. Despite their storied histories, however, both cities are today known for their issues with arsenic pollution. 

The communities fighting for clean water

“We started to face this problem in [Dolores Hidalgo and San Diego] back in 2010,”  Carmen Castro, a coordinator for the civil association Pozo Ademado Community Service (Secopa), told Mexico News Daily. “So far, we have provided potable water to 20 communities that includes 300 beneficiaries, and we give priority to those families with children.”

The Mexican water nonprofit assists homeowners from vulnerable communities in Guanajuato by providing them access to rainwater harvesting systems and water filters in partnership with international organizations like Caminos de Agua. Castro emphasized there are still communities where residents do not have access to these systems and residents have no option but to collect water in jugs, from central cisterns that supply the whole town.

“We started this project five years after we noticed this issue and still, less than 5 per cent of our population get water from other families,” Castro explained. “All of them get training from us about water usage in general,” she added. 

The challenges of providing water to a megacity

Water scarcity and pollution are not problems exclusive to rural communities. Urban sectors are not far behind and face more difficulties when it comes to water, including overexploitation and flooding. 

Sebastián Serrano, Director of Communications and Sustainability at Hidropluviales, a company that makes water treatment systems for rainwater harvesting, spoke to Mexico News Daily about the challenges involved in implementing water purification systems in populated areas. He explained that the challenges are especially significant in Mexico City. 

“The atmosphere [in Mexico City] is more polluted than the areas where vulnerable communities are located. Its infrastructure is overloaded and there is not enough drainage capacity,” he said. 

Serrano emphasized that as a result of the litany of problems surrounding water treatment, the Federal District’s 2003 Water Law made it mandatory to install alternate systems for collecting and reusing water in housing units larger than 500 square meters and neighborhoods of Mexico City without a continuous water supply or drinking water network. Noncompliance, however, was widespread. “People used to capture water, put it in a tank and save it for years,” Serrano said.

After years of the Water Law’s ineffectiveness, the Mexico City water authority (Sacmex) invited businesses in the field, including Hidropluviales, to examine the city’s water regulations, provide feedback and implement updates based on international agreements. 

“Sacmex became more efficient after the feedback… since then, we’ve offered filters to commercial and residential buildings to clean rainwater and store it clean to later use it in toilets or make it drinkable,” Serrano said. 

The lack of access to drinking water in Mexico 

The UN’s 2023 World Water Development Report found that globally, two billion people lack access to safe drinking water. A further 3.6 billion people have no access to safely managed sanitation. 

In Mexico, according to nonprofit Water.org, almost 60% of the population lacks access to clean water, and more than 35% lack access to a safe toilet. 

Water.org lists water supply and sanitation as challenging areas for Mexico, although this has improved in both urban and rural areas over the course of the last two decades. The nonprofit notes this issue continues in some areas of the country mainly due to “a lack of ongoing investment [that] has slowed progress in getting access to safe water to low-income communities.” 

Secopa and other Mexican water nonprofits spoke with Mexico News Daily about how they have faced similar issues where they have not received what they see as proper assistance from Mexican authorities.  

“We’ve reached out to local and state government about our water scarcity and pollution for years… One of our team members even went to Mexico City to speak to someone at the Senate and we never got a response from anyone,” Secopa’s Carmen Castro said. “The only assistance we have are other local nonprofits like ours plus international support from bigger organizations.”

Mónica Olvera Molina, Director of Systemic Change Strategy at Cántaro Azul, a nonprofit organization specializing in water, hygiene and sanitation, has called attention to the water distribution model in Mexico. She explains that it does not benefit rural communities, especially in rural areas of Chiapas. 

“Chiapas is one of the states that offer clean water, but it has the least access to its own water… its rural population covers almost 50 per cent of the territory and only the big cities are covered,” she explained. However, despite the fact that the state has enough clean drinking water to meet demands, access to water is provided by a committee, meaning that the needs of businesses are often prioritized over those of community residents.

An opening for Mexican water nonprofits

How can nonprofits avoid these challenges and what opportunities are available for those who are willing to create water projects in Mexico without government support?

David Vargas, President and Co-founder of Isla Urbana, a nonprofit that provides access to clean water, especially in rural in Wixárika (Huichol) and Rarámuri (Tarahumara) schools and communities in the north of the country, told Mexico News Daily that most international institutions located in Mexico act as bridges, connecting donors, partners and volunteers seeking to provide water purification systems.  

Isla Urbana has been creating these bridges for more than 15 years, installing rain collection systems for half a million people and more than 40,000 schools in Mexico. 

Despite this, Vargas points out a number of issues facing nonprofits in Mexico. “There is a lack of partnerships between social organizations to reach agreements with the Mexican government,” he explained. “Another problem is that we need to learn to showcase the problem so it can be seen and understood. In our case, 40% of schools have water failures in Mexico and parents are often asked to bring buckets of water or pay fees to buy pipes,” he finished. 

“Multinational corporations with offices in Mexico are always in search of corporate social responsibility initiatives and they give priority to projects like ours. They should take advantage of it because it also gives them a good reputation,” he added. 

Isla Urbana has partnered with the Coca-Cola Foundation and is currently working on the creation of 500 rain collection systems in 25 states. They aim to install a total of 5,000 functional systems before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Another company, the U.S. manufacturer AirWater, offers atmospheric water generators that produce water from the air. One of its current challenges is how to establish a partnership with either the public or private sector to be able to distribute it to rural communities that still do not have access to clean drinking water. 

“Our machines are highly specialised and even though our targets are residential homes, businesses, restaurants and hospitals that are in the coastal areas or Mexico City as our machines work in elevated and dry areas…we are in search of a donor willing to accept the challenge,” AirWater Director of Operations Christian Beebe told Mexico News Daily. 

“Our goal is to make a 10-year project that is not using collection systems with existing water through rain, but from the air,” he added. 

Originally from Texas, Nancy Moya has two degrees from New Mexico State University and the University of Texas at El Paso. With 15 years of experience in print and broadcast journalism, she’s worked with well-known outlets like Univision, The Associated Press, El Diario de El Paso, Mexico’s Norteamérica and Mundo Ejecutivo, Germany’s Deutsche Welle and the Spanish-language El Ibérico of London, among others.

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The private sector joined as a voluntary participant, committing to cede contractual rights to at least 126 million cubic meters of water and promising to invest 21 billion pesos (more than US $1 billion) in infrastructure and technology improvements.

Federal water districts and irrigation sectors have also agreed to cede control over 2.8 billion cubic meters of water.

During the signing ceremony, Efraín Morales, director of Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua), said the accord seeks to “move past the mercantilist vision of water and recognize it as a human right and a strategic asset.”

President Sheinbaum and other speakers at the event emphasized the need to recognize the intrinsic link between social equality, economic growth and the environment.

“We must no longer view water as a commodity. It is a right,” Sheinbaum said, according to Radio Fórmula. “Every Mexican should have access to adequate water … We must guarantee sufficient water for food production, for social and industrial development … and institute a plan that provides sustainability and equitable development for the long term.” 

The agreement is derived from the government’s National Water Plan 2024–2030 — presented by Sheinbaum at her press conference last Thursday, a federal initiative to reassess hundreds of thousands of Mexico’s water concessions, clean up some of Mexico’s most polluted rivers, improve agricultural irrigation technology available to the nation’s farmers, and build water infrastructure projects – including a desalination plant in Baja California and flood mitigation projects in Mexico’s flood-prone southeast.

The historic accord signed Monday by Mexico’s governors recognizes access to water as a human right, declares water a national asset and outlines benchmarks for sustainability, as well as reclamation and purification.

“This agreement is just the beginning of a permanent effort to ensure Mexico has a sustainable and equitable future with regard to water,” Morales said, according to the magazine Fortuna.

The pact includes plans to reinforce the nation’s hydraulic infrastructure, sets standards for water treatment plants, conserves and protects wetlands, establishes river cleanup projects and promotes reforestation and forest conservation endeavors. 

Mexico’s water crisis

Last year, Conagua’s Drought Monitor indicated that more than 80% of Mexico’s territory is facing a water crisis, one that, according to the newspaper La Jornada, affects more than 35 million people. 

Last year, Mexico City’s water supplies were so low that the global press was talking about a “Day Zero” when the metropolis would run out of water.

The drought is threatening 104 of the nation’s 757 drainage basins. In addition, of Mexico’s 653 aquifers, 114 are overexploited, according to Conagua. Plus, two-thirds of sites that Conagua monitors were classified as contaminated or heavily contaminated last year.

“It is past time that we manage water more efficiently, that we incentivize treatment and re-use,” Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena told La Jornada. “The willingness to participate voluntarily is a great sign, and it should result in more productive agricultural and industrial sectors while also ensuring a more equitable distribution.”

In addition to the give-back from the private sector, Sheinbaum said water contracts for industrial use would also be restricted and even restructured, the news outlet Infobae reported. Going forward, concessions would strictly prohibit alternate uses of water that do not benefit the public.

With reports from Fortuna, Radio Fórmula, Infobae and La Jornada

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President Claudia Sheinbaum said that one of the “essences” of the plan is to recognize water as a human right rather than a “good” to be sold.

She noted that the plan aims to “sort out” the water concessions issued to private and public interests over the years and identify those not being used.

“There are people who have a water concession but don’t use it; they even sell it in some cases. … What we want is for water that isn’t being used to be returned to the nation, … even municipalities have water concessions,” Sheinbaum told her morning press conference.

“… Water belongs to the nation. … Fortunately we’ve had a lot of dialogue … with industry and with irrigation districts, and they’re willing … to return water concessions they are not using,” she said.

Sheinbaum said the plan will allow the government to “reduce overexploitation and make water available … for human consumption.”

Water shortages affect various parts of Mexico including Mexico City, where at least 60 companies reportedly have permits allowing them to extract more than 1 million liters of water per day from the Valley of Mexico’s water supply.

There was speculation this year that “Day Zero” – the oft-used term for the day on which Mexico City runs out of water – was nigh.

Mexico currently has low water reserves, even after a rainy summer, amplifying concerns about current and future water scarcity and making the implementation of a plan to remedy the situation essential.

Water usage in Mexico

Before examining the details of the National Water Plan, it is pertinent to look at how water is used in Mexico.

National Water Commission (Conagua) General Director Efraín Morales López told Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference that 76% of water in Mexico goes to the agricultural sector and 9% is used by industry (including for electricity generation).

The remaining 15% of water is allocated to “public urban use,” Morales said.

The National Water Plan’s objectives and 4 central tenets 

The Conagua chief said that the objectives of the water plan are to:

• Guarantee the human right to water in sufficient quantity and quality.
• Ensure the sustainability of Mexico’s water resources.
• Promote responsible water management.

Morales said that the plan is based on four central tenets:

• Water policy that supports national sovereignty.
• Universal access to water.
• Mitigation of climate change.
• Comprehensive and transparent management of water resources.

The specific ‘actions’ of the water plan 

1. Revision of water concessions. 

Morales said that Conagua is reviewing all water use permits and identifying “those that aren’t being used” with the aim of reincorporating the volumes of water allocated via concessions to “national availability.”

He said that around 2,600 concessions were issued between 1917 and 1992, but more than 360,000 were granted in the subsequent decade.

The issuance of so many permits led to overexploitation of water resources and other adverse impacts “that unfortunately we’re still experiencing,” Morales said.

2. A water ‘inspection program’ 

Morales said that Conagua, in conjunction with various federal departments and state and municipal authorities, would “implement an inspection program in the whole country to put order to the use of water.”

The aim is to detect illegal, improper and wasteful use of water.

“Our main collaborator will be the people of Mexico, so we make a call to report any irregularity with regard to the use of water,” Morales said.

3. Law changes 

Morales said that the government will present reforms to the National Water Law to prevent “any kind of speculation” on water including via the sale of water use permits.

He said that the “neoliberal model” that was in place for more than three decades before former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018 created an “alternative market” for water and that people “took advantage” and turned water into a “business.”

Offering an example, Morales said that some water permits issued for use in the agricultural sector were sold to real estate developers and factories.

4. Irrigation technology 

The Conagua chief also outlined a plan to use technology to ensure the “more efficient” use of water in irrigation.

In conjunction with the Agriculture Ministry, “we’re going to apply technology to more than 200,000 hectares” of agricultural land, Morales said.

“… This will benefit  … more than 225,000 farming families and also all the people of Mexico because we’re going to produce more food with less water,” he said.

“… Part of the water we save will be allocated to human consumption and to replenish our aquifiers,” Morales said.

Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué Sacristán told Sheinbaum’s press conference that through the use of technology in irrigation, farmers will be able to “control very precisely how much water reaches each of their plants.”

He said that the Agriculture Ministry estimates that production on land where irrigation technology is used will consequently increase by 51%.

“So this doesn’t just contribute to [guaranteeing] the human right to water but also makes a formidable contribution to the nation’s food sovereignty,” Berdegué said.

5. Infrastructure projects 

As part of the National Water Plan, “we’re going to carry out infrastructure projects in the whole country,” Morales said.

The Conagua chief enumerated more than a dozen projects, including various dam and aqueduct initiatives. Morales also mentioned a planned desalination plant in Baja California, projects to mitigate the effects of flooding in Tabasco and initiatives for central Mexico that Sheinbaum outlined earlier this year.

6. Cleaning up rivers 

Morales said that on the “instructions of the president,” cleaning up contaminated rivers is also part of the National Water Plan.

“We’re going to give priority to the three most contaminated rivers in the country,” he said, noting that they are the Lerma-Santiago River in Jalisco, the Atoyac River in Puebla and Tlaxcala and the Tula River in Hidalgo.

“For the planning and execution of this program we’re working very closely and in a very coordinated way with the Environment Ministry, with [Environment Minister] Alicia Bárcena and also with local governments,” Morales said.

7. The National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability 

The Conagua chief said that the National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability is an initiative in which irrigators — “the main industrial consumers” of water – educational institutes, communities and all three levels of government will participate.

The ultimate aim of the agreement is for water to be used in the most efficient way possible to ensure adequate supply.

Companies that sign on to the agreement will invest in “making their production processes more efficient in order to save water,” Morales said.

Some companies will also invest in water projects that benefit the communities in which they are located, he said.

“We have commitments for private investment of more than 16.4 billion pesos,” Morales said.

“And as part of this agreement, there will be an awareness campaign about saving water, about the use and care of water,” he said. “This agreement will be signed on Nov. 25.”

How much will the federal government spend on water projects in 2025?

At the conclusion of his presentation on the National Water Plan, Morales said that the government will invest approximately 20 billion pesos (close to US $1 billion) on water projects next year.

He described the “outlook” on the water situation in Mexico and the world as “complex, noting the prevalence of water stress and “complications that climate change brings.”

However, via the “equitable distribution” of water and “adequate management of our resources,” it will be possible to have a future in which water is not a “matter for dispute,” Morales said.

“… Let’s all remember that water is wellbeing,” he added.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

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Both energy and education are equally unique issues as well that need significant and urgent attention nationwide. To better understand what is being done and learn from one of the leading companies in the world in both water and energy, I recently met with the CEO of Siemens’ Mexico, Central America and Caribbean business, Alejandro Preinfalk. This year Siemens is celebrating 130 years since the German company began doing business in Mexico. One of the first projects completed by Siemens that year, 1894, was the illumination of the famous Paseo de la Reforma street in central Mexico City — so needless to say, the company has a bit of experience in the area of energy in Mexico.

Fast forward to the present day, and Siemens now has over 7,000 employees in the country including over 1,000 new hires just this year. The company has opened three new factories this year in the cities of Ciudad Juárez, Querétaro and Monterrey, bringing them to a total of six plants in the country. Siemens also has two R&D centers in Monterrey and Querétaro and a distribution center in Guadalajara.

The company is proud of the fact that it is now sourcing 50% of its products locally in Mexico — a figure that has increased and will continue to do so. Siemens estimates that for every one of its employees in Mexico, an additional 10 indirect jobs have been created with suppliers in Mexico to support its business. Approximately half of Siemens Mexico production is for local use, while the other half is for export. This is a higher percentage of local use than many companies I talk to, who export a much higher percentage of production.

Siemens has doubled their Mexico revenue in just the past four years. When I told Mr. Preinfalk that I often hear doubts about nearshoring’s impact on Mexico from (non-business) thought leaders and economists, he was adamant that “nearshoring is real, it’s happening.”

He also mentioned that “expectations management” was important as the full impact of nearshoring on the country will take time yet. The record low vacancy in many industrial parks throughout the country, he noted, is evidence of what is yet to come.

Two of the major focus areas that the company is focused on in Mexico are automation/digitalization and electrification, both of which have a significant impact in the water and energy industries. A few examples of the many projects and technologies that the company is working on include:

• Detecting leakages in the water distribution network
• Conserving energy of pumps
• Remote flow meters to monitor and control water usage
• Intelligent farming
• Creating digital twins to find ways to optimize water and energy usage

Mr. Preinfalk talked at length and with great pride about the work being done by the company in the area of training and education. Siemens has helped over 1 million students in Mexico through its work to help strengthen science and technology (STEM) education in Mexican schools, especially with young girls. The company is now at a level of 50% women in its new hires nationwide. The company has trained over 30,000 students, educators and future industry professionals nationwide in just the past two years on industrial software and technologies.

He also talked about an initiative called “Mexico 4.0 Commission: Innovation and Industrial Digitalization,” in which Siemens has collaborated with the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of the United Mexican States (Concamin). This collaboration led to the development of an app that allows companies to do “digital maturity assessments” to help identify gaps and build a plan to better integrate digitization into its operations.

It’s no secret that Mexico faces important challenges in the areas of water, energy and workforce education and preparation. I often hear thought leaders and columnists lamenting the seemingly insurmountable challenges and the slow pace of improvement. It is exciting and inspirational to learn what companies like Siemens are doing in Mexico to help solve the challenges and doing so in a way that takes into account the importance of helping to make a positive impact in the education of the country’s current and future workforce.

It’s no surprise to me that Siemens has been able to double its business in Mexico in just the past 4 years, given its focus on solving key challenges facing the country and investments in its people. Mexico needs them to continue to be successful and continue to invest in workforce development. The work the company is doing and the impact it is having are hugely important for the future of Mexico.

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Of course, it’s also true that tourism and real estate are tent poles of the Los Cabos economy and that golf courses provide many good-paying jobs to locals. But these courses are typically exclusive. That’s not in dispute.

Los Cabos golf courses are often wildlife-friendly

The other two criticisms are more complicated, and one (the threat to wildlife habitats) has been shown in some case studies to be misguided. A recent USGA article on the environmental benefits of golf cites three studies that support the idea that golf courses provide healthy habitats for endangered species. So golf courses generally aren’t harmful to wildlife. Quite the contrary, they’re often wildlife sanctuaries. It makes sense if you think about it. As urban developments increase, the animals displaced naturally seek out the few available areas with greenery, foliage, and wide-open spaces. 

Solmar Golf Links in Los Cabos qualified as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary in 2021, making it one of only 900 of the over 38,000 golf courses worldwide to have received environmental certification from Audubon International (Twin Dolphin Golf Club is the only other in Los Cabos). Golfers on both these courses can’t help but notice the thriving wildlife. In fact, in Audubon International’s 2024 BioBlitz, a “free species-counting competition designed to showcase the environmental value of the natural habitats found on golf courses,” Twin Dolphin Golf Club was a winner, with a photo capturing a bee cocoon — many bee species are threatened worldwide — flourishing in one of its trees. Wildlife also abounds on Solmar Golf Links, from lizards and correcaminos (roadrunners) to seasonal sightings of whales transiting just offshore.

That’s not to say the other 16 Los Cabos courses aren’t wildlife-friendly. But there are local courses that take sustainability to another level with habitat protection, just as there are when it comes to water use. 

Why water use on Los Cabos courses more complicated than you think

Yes, golf courses do use a lot of water for irrigation. However, many course superintendents care about environmental impacts and are trying to find new ways to reduce water use. Over the past two decades, they’ve proven to be very successful at doing so. In the U.S., for example, water use by golf courses has declined by 29% since 2005.

How has this been accomplished? One way is to strategically reduce areas that need to be irrigated to conserve water, a practice that Solmar Golf Links has implemented, as has its Cabo San Lucas neighbor Quivira Golf Club. Another is to install grasses for fairways and greens that aren’t as water-intensive. In a recent article in Forbes, course architect Jan Bel Jan discussed one of the projects she was proudest to have been part of, the opening of the Tom Fazio-designed Old Collier Golf Club in Naples, Florida in 2001. “It was the first course that used the new Seashore Paspalum turf type and that was important because it could tolerate up to 36,000 parts per million salt. So we were able to grow a golf course using salt water right out of the ocean.”

Varieties of seashore paspalum have since been installed at several Los Cabos golf courses, including Club Campestre, Puerto Los Cabos, Solmar Golf Links, Quivira Golf Club, and both El Cardonal and the Dunes Course at Diamante. These paspalum varieties are salt-tolerant, require fewer chemicals and pesticides, and can be irrigated with greywater (effluent water that is treated and disinfected). Quivira, for example, has its own wastewater treatment plant that can treat and disinfect sewage from nearby residents in Cabo San Lucas for irrigation purposes, noted the course’s Director of Golf Antonio Reynante in a 2024 issue of Golf Business Magazine. Quivira irrigates fairways according to how much greywater is available, a sustainability-friendly plan that also provides an enormous benefit in terms of no-cost service to the city. Greens, meanwhile, are watered from retention lakes.

The case for greater oversight of golf course water use in Los Cabos

So some responsibly managed golf courses in Los Cabos like Solmar Golf Links and Quivira Golf Club exist as do proven pathways to sustainability. But these sustainable practices haven’t been implemented at all local courses and there are lots of them: 18, as previously noted, with five more in development. 

To put this in perspective, upkeep for each layout necessitates 2,300 cubic meters of water per day on average – the equivalent of over 600,000 gallons and enough to satisfy the daily needs of 8,000 residents, per the 2019 article “A critical geography approach to land and water use in the tourist economy in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico” published in the Journal of Land Use Science by authors Juan Carlos Graciano, Manuel Ángeles, and Alba E. Gámez. 

That’s for one course. Multiply that by the 23 courses expected to be open within the next couple of years and the numbers are staggering. You’re talking about enough water to service 184,000 people per day — more than half the current population of Los Cabos. Instead, it’s being diverted to golf courses enjoyed by a small group of affluent people, many of whom don’t live here.

Again, not all of these golf courses are using municipal water sources. So that number is likely inflated. Still, it’s obvious why so many people are upset about this seemingly frivolous use of such a critical resource; especially since Los Cabos is already operating at a water deficit as local aquifers aren’t recharged fast enough to keep up with demand. At the very least, water consumption from local golf courses should probably be tracked and reported, with some governmental oversight.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

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The new agreement, which amends an 80-year water treaty between Mexico and the U.S. to share the Rio Grande, comes as Mexico nears the end of a five-year cycle with a likely deficit in its treaty obligations to deliver Rio Grande water to the U.S. 

The Rio Grande river is a natural border between the U.S. and Mexico, running through both southern Texas and through the northern Mexico states of Durango, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.

The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which oversees the U.S.-Mexico water treaty, said in a statement that the new measures will provide Mexico with “tools and flexibility to deliver water earlier in the five-year cycle.”

The IBWC is trying to prevent a water deficit crisis, in which Mexico doesn’t deliver its required amount of water from the Rio Grande by the end of the five-year cycle, which ends on Oct. 24, 2025. Under the terms of the 1944 treaty, Mexico is obligated to deliver a total of 1.75 million acre-feet of water by October 24, 2025, absent extraordinary drought or a serious infrastructure accident, according to the IBWC statement.

One acre-foot is enough water to flood one acre of land a foot deep, which means Mexico must deliver about 570 billion gallons of water during each five-year period.

Amid some of the most severe drought-driven water shortages in nearly 30 years, Mexico has fallen behind on water deliveries by about 980,000 acre-feet during this cycle, according to the newspaper Rio Grande Guardian, leading to fears that it will not be able to make up the amount by the end of the cycle.

It’s not the first time Mexico has fallen short in its water obligations, which go to farmers in Texas. The last five-year cycle, from 2015–2020, was the first time in decades that Mexico managed to end the cycle without a deficit. The history of recurring deficits has bred tension between the two nations.

IBWC Minute No. 331, “Measures to Improve the Reliability and Predictability of Rio Grande Water Deliveries to Benefit the United States and Mexico” on Nov. 7 will now provide Mexico with several options to catch up on its water debt, including earlier-than-scheduled water deliveries that would allow Mexico to take advantage of its northern border region’s rainy season.

One of the aforementioned “tools and flexibility” referred to by IBWC would also allow Mexico to give up some of its water allotment under the treaty. 

Farmers downstream in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and across the river in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state have been plagued with water scarcity issues, but Mexico and U.S. officials expressed confidence that the new measure will provide greater reliability and predictability in water allocations to users in both countries.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry wrote in a statement that “the agreement strengthens bilateral cooperation with regard to critical issues such as water storage, the environment and water conservation in the Rio Bravo Valley.” 

Mexico refers to the Rio Grande river as the Río Bravo.

The original treaty calculated water availability based on data from the first half of the 20th century. It foresaw short-term droughts, but not multiyear megadroughts, according to the news channel CNN.

The agreement encapsulated in BWC Minute No. 331 was reached after 18 months of negotiations, Reuters reported, underscoring the immense difficulties of navigating how to share shrinking water resources in a hotter, drier world.

With reports from Reuters, Channel 5 News and CNN

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