Mexico invests in water security infrastructure

The Mexican government is investing more than €128 million in the water security of Baja California Sur, including the rejuvenation of wastewater treatment facilities and drinking water infrastructure, as part of the country’s National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability.

Investing in a ‘water as a human right’ future

The investment is being made jointly by the National Water Commission (Conagua) and the government of Baja California Sur and the municipalities. The purpose of the investment is to improve water quality and availability throughout the state as part of President Sheinbaum Pardo’s commitment to ensuring the human right to water.

There will also be an additional investment of just over €18 million spread across 95 further projects in five of the state’s municipal districts.

Reflecting a nationwide effort to improve water security

The investment in Baja California Sur reflects the upsurge in water projects taking place, or planned, across the country as the government addresses decades of drought and ageing infrastructure in the short-term, and ensuring the country is better prepared for the challenges it will face in the long-term.

Rehabilitating water treatment plants

Addressing local media, Efraín Morales López, general director of Conagua, revealed some of the projects that will be receiving funding. These included projects that would renovate and rehabilitate water treatment plants in Loreto and Los Cabos.

The plant in Loreto will be rehabilitated over the course of two years at a cost of €3.5 million. This will improve water quality and availability for a large majority of the 23,000 local residents present in the region, leading to both health and environmental benefits.

La Sonoreña I treatment plant in Los Cabos will undergo two phases of improvements. The first will see improvements to the treatment process so that any waters discharged into the local bay meet environmental quality standards. The second stage will explore building more facilities at the plant.

Improving water distribution networks

The funding will not just rejuvenate existing treatment plants, it will be used across the water distribution network to ensure water availability improves, along with quality. In Los Cabos, the network will be improved and repaired to provide more residents with clean water.

In La Paz, major works that will improve the water system include the construction of the El Novillo dam at a cost of almost €37 million. A treatment plant will also be built to handle runoff water that will supply homes in the city. The municipality will also benefit from sectorisation of its water distribution network, mirroring the regulation work carried out elsewhere in Mexico, such as in the city of Monterrey. This work will facilitate both an equitable distribution of water within the city, but also greatly improve the local authority’s ability to detect and repair leaks.

Approaching water security holistically

Morales López also confirmed that the major infrastructure works will be complemented by efforts to improve conservation and retention. Not only will these help to reduce the need for groundwater extraction, they will help to replenish the aquifers that have been depleted by over-use and the long-term effects of drought conditions.

The latest funding for the area also works alongside another major national water project, namely improving irrigation practices. Morales López told local media that all of these projects relied on the state and municipal governments working collaboratively.

Projects brought forward

Recognising the need to accelerate infrastructure improvements to combat recent water scarcity issues and to ensure the state is prepared for any future climate challenges, two projects have been brought forward.

The Rosarito desalination plant in Baja California will begin construction two months earlier than planned, and further afield the Colima aqueduct and El Tunal dam in Durango will begin construction ahead of schedule.