Overview of Conagua’s Program for Equitable Water Distribution
The National Water Commission (Conagua) has unveiled progress in its program aimed at curbing water hoarding, combating over-concession, and ensuring fairer distribution of this vital resource across Mexico.
Key Figures and Initiatives
- Efraín Morales López, Conagua’s General Director, detailed the program during Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference.
- The program involves reviewing over 536,000 active water concession titles and conducting inspections based on citizen complaints.
- Conagua is constructing a new national water register with reliable data and implementing a single digital window to streamline processes and minimize corruption opportunities.
Achievements and Impact
Morales highlighted the success of the National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability, signed in November with participation from governments, academics, businesses, and producers.
- This agreement has led to the deprivatization of over 4,000 million cubic meters of water, equivalent to the Mexico City supply for four years.
Mauricio Rodríguez Alonso, Conagua’s Subdirector General for Water Administration, elaborated on the actions taken:
- Closing illegal wells, such as those discovered in Tehuacán, Puebla, which supplied up to 300 water tankers daily.
- In the first week of October, a decree for facilitated regularization of expired concessions will be published, providing certainty to small and medium-sized users.
- The Centros de Apoyo al Desarrollo Rural (Cader) will be integrated into the process to expand attention to rural sectors.
Regarding administrative modernization, Rodríguez mentioned:
- The single digital window now enables five tramites, with four more to be added in October, leading to full digitalization by January 2026.
- “This will be a significant step in attention and the fight against corruption,” he assured.
Rodríguez also reported that the strategy has had a financial impact:
- Revenues increased by 2,938 million pesos compared to August 2024, marking a 15% growth.
“Now is the time for users with outstanding debts to regularize,” urged the official.
Moreover, he emphasized that, along with administrative sanctions and voluntary concessionaire renunciations, 4,475 million cubic meters of water have been recovered—exceeding initial expectations set by Conagua.
