We Mexicans have many virtues, but we are not farsighted and I suspect that we are slow learners. We live in one of the two countries in the Americas that have the greatest water stress, but we indulge in spending 50% more water on average than Europeans. It is not a matter of hygiene habits, but of misuse of water. Of the 322 liters per day that we spend per person, 40% is lost. We live in a semi-arid country, but we cling to a myth of abundance that hurts us a lot. A water crisis like the one Monterrey experienced was necessary for us to understand how close we are to hell due to the lack of access to this liquid.
The Monterrey crisis became a national issue due to the importance of the city. It is the third in the country by population and number two by its generation of wealth. We witnessed the drama that thousands of Monterrey residents experienced, through social networks and the main media. His difficult circumstance served to open the eyes of even those who did not want to see: politicians, businessmen and citizens. This crisis was, without a doubt, a major factor for the change in the budgetary status of Conagua and the water infrastructure projects. For 2023, they are a priority in the PEF prepared by the Ministry of Finance. In 2022, there were 15,390 million for Works and 33 billion for Conagua. By 2023, 44.693 million will be destined for Works and 68.485 million for Conagua, if the deputies do not say otherwise.
Included in the budget package are the Presa de la Libertad and the Cuchillo to bring water to Nuevo León. Resources are also planned to support the Yaqui community in Sonora; the healthy water project in La Laguna; the rescue of Lake Texcoco and the Cuitzmala system in the center of the country. It is obvious that all these projects are necessary, but the urgency is throughout the national territory. In 14 states there are daily problems related to water and sanitation services. Two thirds of the Mexican population live in places where the water supply is not guaranteed in the medium term, let’s say by 2050. In Querétaro, they talk about Aqueduct III. In Jalisco, from the Zapotillo dam. In Baja California, Guanajuato and Chihuahua, how difficult it will be to sustain high growth rates if there is no more investment in water.
It is the supply, in addition to the need to build treatment and sanitation plants for the water used. The development of infrastructure to take advantage of rainwater that is lost in more than 99%. Not forgetting the imperative to improve the efficiency of our food production systems in the field.
In agriculture and livestock, 70% of the water available in Mexico is used. Efficient use is the exception rather than the rule. According to the FAO, worldwide, a kilo of pork needs 6 thousand liters to produce. A bag of chips requires 185 liters. A liter of milk, a thousand liters of water. One kilo of corn, 450 liters.
Let’s go back to the 2023 budget. If the deputies approve or expand the proposal presented by the Treasury, some of the damage caused by the budget reductions made since 2019 will be reversed… plus the corruption of a lifetime. Hopefully the scare caused by Monterrey will not go away and will last long enough to generate a culture of water. The Mexican Institute of Water Technology estimates that an annual investment of 49,000 million pesos over 20 years would be needed to reverse many of the lags.
Why invest in water? A report by the Sanitation and Water for All Foundation emphasizes a series of gains in quality of life associated with access to clean water and drainage. Among the most important, there is an increase in school attendance by boys and girls; greater privacy for women and greater security for women and the elderly. This study, called A Manual for Ministers of Finance, calculates that the social profitability of drinking water and drainage projects is 4 dollars for every dollar invested. Why not invest in water?
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