Water Supply Plan for Nuevo Leon / Crime in Nuevo Leon

Nuevo Leon announces plan to raise water supply. Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel García said on Sunday, the state administration will announce a plan to increase water supply in the region. The project consists of 15 actions aimed at raising supply. Nevertheless, García said the next two months will be difficult given the 15 percent water deficit in the state.

García also highlighted that the federal government approved a MX$2 billion (US$99 million) budget to support the state, of which MX$284 million (US$14.1 million) will be deposited today. The money will be destined to improvement works at the Libertad water dam to bolster water supply in the metropolitan region.

Nuevo Leon has suffered prolonged drought seasons, leading the government to enforce water cuts over the past months. From May 8 until August, 50 percent of the population in the metropolitan area will not have water from 6pm until 6am unless there is a meteorological phenomenon that refills the water dams. This, in addition to the water cuts applied once per week during which there is no water after 10pm.

The Cierro Prieto and La Boca water dams are at 4 and 11 percent capacity, respectively, with minimal provision to metropolitan supply. Meanwhile, the incorporation of wells to the distribution network is taking longer than expected. Cautionary measures respond to a recalibration according to the “Water for All” program, designed to supply water to all residents of the metropolitan area.

Homicides, extorsion and theft in Nuevo Leon. Minister of Defense Luis Cresencio Sandoval informed that extorsion crimes, homicides, vehicle theft and burglary have been on the rise in Nuevo Leon, mainly in the municipalities of Monterrey, Guadalupe and Apodaca. The state ranks 17th in the number of total high-level incidences. Governor García informed that, as of today, six headquarters for the National Guard have been built in Nuevo Leon, with plans to build an additional seven offices in the state in 2023.   

In more positive news, the governor reported that the state hit record numbers in job creation and direct foreign investment. He highlighted that for every dollar that reaches Mexico, 25 cents go to the Monterrey metropolitan area. 

Armed civilians tail military forces. Last Tuesday, three vans with armed civilians were filmed following military troops in Nueva Italia, Michoacan. The defense forces avoided confrontation and drove in another direction. After the video went viral, President López Obrador reaffirmed his position of protecting the lives of criminals. According to him, his government protects both the armed forces, as well as members of criminal gangs as “they are also human beings.”