The water scarcity situation in Mexico has reached alarming limits this 2024, with 75% of its territory experiencing some degree of drought, according to data from the National Water Commission (CONAGUA). CONAGUA's Drought Monitor indicates that the situation in the Valley of Mexico network is moderate to extreme, a scenario that has been worsening in recent weeks: at the end of the first half of March 2024, the percentage of areas with moderate to exceptional drought at the national level was 58.17%, higher by 1.53% than what was collected at the end of February 2024.
Mexico's next federal elections, which will be held on 2 June 2024, are undoubtedly affected by this critical water scarcity scenario. In fact, in the Cutzamala system, which is at its lowest level in 27 years, "Day Zero" has been set for this very month: experts estimate that on 26 June the water supply of this system, which supplies Mexico City, would be exhausted.
Mexico's water scarcity situation has reached alarming limits by 2024, with 75% of its territory experiencing some degree of drought
On 1 March, the electoral campaigns began, and the candidates are already touring Mexico addressing an electoral population of more than 97 million voters, who will decide the future of the Presidency of the Republic and of different positions in 30 of the 32 states.
Through the electoral platforms presented by the political parties before the National Electoral Institute (INE), we will try to analyse the strategies and approaches proposed by each candidacy to address the solutions they propose to the profound water crisis affecting more than half of the region.
Who are the main presidential candidates?
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, former head of government of Mexico City and a leading figure in the "Fourth Transformation" movement, is the candidate of the alliance between Morena, Partido del Trabajo (PT) and Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM) for the 2024 elections. As the founder of Morena and defender of the principles of this transformation, Sheinbaum is positioned as one of the most relevant figures of the movement and with the possibility of succeeding President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Senator Xóchitl Gálvez, for her part, is running as the candidate of the Fuerza y Corazón por México coalition, made up of the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) for the Presidency of the Republic.
Jorge Álvarez Máynez, who was initially set to lead Samuel García's presidential campaign, ended up emerging as the leading figure of Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) for this campaign. In the absence of viable options for the party's presidential candidacy, Álvarez Máynez will face Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez at the polls on 2 June.
Proposals to tackle the water crisis
In a first general analysis, aspects such as the focus on sustainability and an urgent modernisation of water legislation are the two fundamental points on which there is consensus among the three main forces, especially in the area of water reuse and treatment. In this sense, the proposal of Xóchitl Gálvez, the PRI-PAN-PRD candidate, stands out. She proposes the treatment of 100 % of the country's wastewater, an ambitious goal that may be far from the real possibilities, given that currently only 41.1 % of Mexico's wastewater is treated. As part of this strategy, the use of treated water to recharge depleted aquifers would be prioritised, although this is a plan that may prove too complex. If this is achieved, another of Gálvez's strong proposals would come into play, the expansion and modernisation of drinking water supply infrastructure, with a focus on minimising waste, an urgent issue whose relevance is supported by all candidates.
Likewise, Xóchitl Gálvez's programme also focuses on the technification of the countryside to produce more food with less water, an aspect that her opponent, Claudia Sheinbaum, shares, directing it more precisely to the modernisation of agricultural irrigation, emphasising that 77% of the country's drinking water is used for irrigation and this is still developed without technification.
The focus on sustainability and an urgent modernisation of water legislation are the two key points on which there is consensus among the three main forces
In the technological field, Jorge Álvarez Máynez presents a commitment to sustainability and direct work on farms, based on the training of small and medium-sized producers in order to implement technologies that have a direct impact on minimising greenhouse gas emissions.
Regarding planning and the institutional framework, Sheinbaum proposes a new 30-year water agenda, questioning the current National Water Programme. In addition, Claudia Sheinbaum and the PVEM propose the creation of a National Water Bank, a point of divergence with the proposal of Jorge Álvarez Máynez, who suggests promoting a Water Infrastructure Fund (which he intends to increase CONAGUA's budget by 15% each year) and a National Emergency Water Plan. Xóchitl Gálvez does not propose the creation of new institutions, but rather the modernisation of existing ones, although she is the only candidate who mentions water as a matter of national security.
In this line, one of Sheinbaum's strong bets is the revision of the General Water Law to avoid the arbitrary transfer of concessions, and to recognise water as "a resource of the nation" in the Constitution, which will guarantee a more responsible use of the resource in all areas.
Another issue of particular interest in the case of Mexico is the need to work on water education and culture. In this sense, Xóchitl Gálvez's platform places particular emphasis on the promotion of this type of strategy, while her opponents' proposals do not specify how they will go about promoting this culture among citizens.
On the other hand, rainwater harvesting has been another of the issues most frequently addressed in the candidates' proposals: Xóchitl Gálvez proposes a National Plan for Domestic Rainwater Harvesting, despite the fact that the rainy seasons are precisely those with the lowest water shortages. On this issue, the candidate of the Fuerza y Corazón por México coalition supports the need to let aquifers rest and avoid overexploitation. For her part, Claudia Sheinbaum had already promoted a similar programme in Mexico City last year, "Rain Harvest", which closed 2023 with 62,693 families benefiting from it.
