Water Crisis Looms Over Mexico Valley

José Luegue, former Director, National Water Commision (CONAGUA), warned about a possible water crisis in the Mexico Valley, arguing that this crisis might have consequences the area has never seen before. 

During an event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Naucalpan’s Drinking Water, Drainage and Water Sanitation Body (OAPAS), which provides water services to this municipality in the State of Mexico, Luegue warned that there are some factors that contribute to water stress in the Mexico Valley. In the long term, these factors might cause a water crisis with consequences the area has never experienced. 

According to Luegue, the main factor that contributes to water stress is that the area extracts more water (1,800m3) from the subsoil than it restores (780m³). As for Naucalpan, Jaime Vences, Director, OAPAS, said that the Cutzamala water system, which supplies water to the Valley of Mexico, including Naucalpan, is not sufficient to provide enough water to fulfill the inhabitants’ needs. “Currently, everyone that depends on the system faces constant shortages of water as a consequence of lacking rainfall and droughts leading to low water levels at the dams that supply us,” said Vences.

Other aspects that contribute to the water shortage are lack of payments, according to Jesús Campos, former Deputy Director for Water Infrastructure, CONAGUA. The commission bills only 40 percent of the water it distributes. Furthermore, over 40 percent of the water distributed is lost due to the lack of maintenance to the pipelines. 

Nonetheless, the current water authority in the Valley of Mexico rules out a water crisis. On Aug. 31, 2022, MBN reported that Victor Bourguett, Director General, CONAGUA’s Mexico Valley Watershed Body (OCAVM), said that thanks to the work of Mexico City and the State of Mexico, which materialized in 11 water projects worth US$943,000, the possibility of reaching Nuevo Leon’s drought levels was off the table. Nonetheless, Bourguett admitted that overexploitation of the city’s water deposits is a reality.