Tapped Out: Mexico’s Urgent Water Crisis

I remember very vividly in 2022 when, at the time, Mexican president Manuel Lopez Obrador announced a stop on all beer production in the north of Mexico due to severe droughts. As someone who had lived in Mexico, I was not surprised. 35% of Mexico is desert, so while a huge stereotype, it is not fully off to picture the geography of Mexico as that described in a Cormac McCarthy novel or pictured in a Western, desert and dry prairies. So when Mexico, again, experienced a water crisis this year, one of greater scale than that of 2022, and one which very clearly revealed the intrinsic issues of water management and consumption in Mexico, I was again, not surprised.

Mexico is, as stated, currently experiencing a water crisis that is hitting its metropolitan region extremely hard. Some experts predict that this region, hosting over 22 million people, the highest population of any metropolitan area in North America, could run out of water by late June, commonly referred to as “Day Zero”.

The biggest issue is the relationship Mexico City has with the aquifers that exist below its surface, the biggest source of water for the area. See, when the Spanish colonization project began in the continent, the lakes upon which Mexico City was built were drained, leading to issues concerning the replenishment of aquifers which now had a whole city between its underground body and sources of replenishment such as rainwater. This, unsustainable consumption practices, and environmental conditions exacerbated by climate change, are perfect conditions for a water crisis.

However, that is not the only source of water for Mexico City, while 60% comes from the aquifers, 25% comes from the Cutzamala water system. This water system is currently at under 38% capacity, so it cannot hedge the losses suffered by the aquifers. 

So the aquifers aren't sustainable, other systems aren't sustainable, and environmental factors such as rising temperatures and El Niño contribute to the water crisis, so what can be done?

While water conservation efforts in the city concerning this event began in 2023, when the amount of water supplied by the Cutzamala system and its flow rate were lowered in tandem with state calls to lower household water consumption, this was clearly not enough. The question lies not in individual and household adaption, but in infrastructure. Around 40% of the water in Mexico City is lost through leaks due to damaged pipelines, and additional water is lost through theft as organized groups resell water at inflated prices to households and agricultural businesses.

These damaged pipelines are usually caused due to subsidence. As mentioned before, Mexico City was built on top of a lake system, leading to unstable ground which varies in level based on the stability of the ground below it and the volume of water that exists in the aquifers below that. It is evident that a city whose underground system unevenly moves and sinks will not be very kind to infrastructure such as water pipes.

Water infrastructure has become a major topic of discussion, exacerbated by the crisis and the very real threat of a city without local sources of water. As of now, over 25% of the population does not have consistent access to water, and while 98% has the infrastructure to receive water, the availability of water passing through this infrastructure, your access to it, is a whole other question.

Juan Pendavis

Research and Academia Consultant at The AWA Project

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The AWA Project