In an era when more risks are becoming profound realities, HotSpots H2O helps make sense of a changing, often stressed global waterscape.
HotSpots H2O, June 25: Boko Haram Impedes Water Access In Northeast Nigeria As Lake Chad Shrinks
HotSpots H2O, June 18: Yemen’s Water Supply Jeopardized Again in Battle for Hodeidah
HotSpots H2O, June 11: Over 200,000 Rohingya Refugees At Risk from Monsoon Flooding, Landslides
HotSpots H2O, June 4: Thousands Go Thirsty as Fighting Halts Desalination in Derna, Libya
HotSpots H2O, May 29: Year After Siege, Water Shortages Linger in Philippines City
HotSpots H2O, May 21: Drought, Then Floods, Destabilize Kenya
HotSpots H2O, May 14: Water Shortages, Malnutrition, and Ebola Overwhelm the Congo
HotSpots H2O, May 7: Yemen Risks Another Cholera Outbreak During Rainy Season, Ramadan
HotSpots H2O, April 23: Spotlight on South Sudan
HotSpots H2O, April 16: Spotlight on the Refugee Influx in Uganda
HotSpots H2O, April 9: Spotlight on Libya
HotSpots H2O, April 2: Spotlight on Afghanistan
Water Depletion: A Pivotal Concern In Mexico’s 2024 Election
/in HotSpots H2O/by Zara GoundenBy Zara Gounden, Circle of Blue – February 7, 2024
Serious drought and poor water management in Mexico is forcing millions of people all over the country to ration or recycle water for drinking and bathing. Of the country’s 32 states, 30 are experiencing dire water shortages, leading to big street protests.
Though access to water is a constitutional right in Mexico, an estimated 57 percent of the population lack access to safe water sources. Water scarcity is now a pivotal issue in the presidential election, scheduled for June 2024.
Leading presidential candidates Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez recognize the gravity of the national water crisis, highlighting it in their campaigns. Sheinbaum, Morena party’s candidate, emphasizes her achievements in water infrastructure projects as Mexico City’s former mayor. Gálvez, part of the Broad Front coalition, has delved into the issue at Senate forums. As water scarcity fuels protests and affects cities like Torreón and San Luís Potosí, Mexico City, and others, the candidates’ proposed solutions have become crucial focal points.
The supply emergency is not solely a consequence of climate change and deforestation, say authorities, but also stems from inadequate urban planning and corruption, enabling companies to take advantage of unrestricted water usage.
Last year President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador encouraged companies to invest in Mexico’s southern regions, asserting that water availability is more limited in the heavily industrialized north. Water scarcity threatens several important economic opportunities for Mexico such as a $5 billion deal with Tesla.
Water insecurity is demonstrated by over-extended distribution infrastructure, such as the Cutzamala system, which transports water from the Cutzamala River to the Mexico City metropolitan area (MCMA) and the Valley of Toluca metropolitan area. The network of canals, tunnels, pipelines, and pumping stations were constructed in the late 1970s to 1994, and support millions of urban residents and thousands of businesses. However, due to water scarcity, the Cutzamala System water reserves have now fallen to the lowest point in 27 years.
Zara is a reporting intern at Circle of Blue. She is a Davis Scholar in her third year at New York University London, majoring in Global Liberal Studies with a concentration in Politics, Rights, and Development.
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Previous HotSpots H2O
- Water Depletion: A Pivotal Concern In Mexico’s 2024 ElectionFebruary 7, 2024 - 12:59 pm
- Hotspots H20: Israel Pledges to Resume Gaza Water DeliveriesOctober 17, 2023 - 4:48 pm
- Water Migrants: Reaching European ShoresSeptember 12, 2023 - 2:37 pm
- Water Migrants: Crisis in the Mediterranean Episode 2August 23, 2023 - 11:19 am
- Graphic Journalism: Vermont Floods Pose Threats To Drinking WaterJuly 21, 2023 - 9:18 am
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