Mayan Train Financed by NAIM Cancelation: AMLO

The Mayan Train was financed in part through the funds that became available as a result of the cancellation of the NAIM, according to remarks made this week by President López Obrador. The president’s calculations were based on a claim that the total price tag for the NAIM was US$14.1 billion, while the new airport in Santa Lucia will only cost US3.5 billion. This means the difference has been reinvested and now represents an important part of the Mayan Train’s budget.  

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Mexico, US to Modernize Border Infrastructure in 2022

North America continues to focus on a joint development plan to boost the economies of Canada, Mexico and the US, leading to a bilateral agreement between the two last countries to modernize their shared border, according to recent remarks from SRE leader Marcelo Ebrard. “We have resources from the customs fund, so we are going to use them. The president already said that he agreed, among other things, to modernize the entire port infrastructure and the northern border to put an entire institutional framework on security matters,” said Ebrard at the plenary session of the Executive Council of Global Companies (CEEG) directors’ meeting, held this week.

Oaxaca's Road Program Announces Latest Developments

The Paving Program for Municipal Roads in Oaxaca has completed one of its courses, according to an announcement by SCT during the inauguration of the San Jeronimo Taviche road. The many lessons learned in the construction of these roads will benefit the people most in need, said SCT Head Jorge Arganis Díaz-Leal. He also highlighted the solidarity and collaboration of Oaxacan communities, which helped them reach collective agreements and overcome adversity. “The road that is being delivered today fulfills this purpose: raises the quality of life of the population, especially for the ones most in need. These people value each stone placed, because they participated in the effort to build their own roads. We feel very fortunate for contributing to the construction of these roads, which enable new conditions of wellbeing for the different regions of Oaxaca,” said Arganis.

Water Infrastructure Tests Positive For Contamination

Aquifers located in areas with high population density, especially those in agricultural and urban areas, are often contaminated by natural minerals, according to a report by CONAGUA. The commission also warns that numerous bottled water companies do not comply with local sanitary norms and an excess of coliforms (bacteria present in fecal matter) and nitrates have been found in their bottled water. In Mexico City, “the water from 40 bottled water companies was analyzed and the results showed that 62.5 percent of the samples exceeded the established limits for total coliforms. Likewise, 27.5 percent of the intakes analyzed did not comply with the nitrate limits,” said CONAGUA.

Food Infrastructure Needs To Be More Resilient: UN

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) identified the priority areas to make agri-food infrastructure more resilient to sudden changes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, in its “The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2021” report. The report’s main objective is to guide governments to become more resilient to crises and able to recover faster. It also acknowledges that the world was not on track to meet its commitment to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030 and the pandemic only made things worse. “The pandemic highlighted both the resilience and the weakness of our agri-food systems,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. Fragile agri-food systems are already affecting 3 billion people by barring them from a healthy diet, with an additional 1 billion on the verge of joining this risk group if a shock reduces their income by one-third. This scenario is possible given the cracks in critical transport links, which would increase food costs for approximately 845 million people.