The National Water Commission (Conagua) said that Mexico receives 4.5 times more water than the one that gives to the United States thanks to the Water Treaty signed in 1944.
“Mexico receives 4.5 times more water than it delivers to the United States and can reach up to five times more if there are the conditions referred to in the treaty itself,” said Humberto Marengo Mogollón, deputy general director of the agency.
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“Many people say that the 1944 water treaty between Mexico and the United States, but many times and many of the cases do not even know what it is and only thinks without knowing anything,” said the official in a forum organized by the College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (CICM).
“Although there are voices in the media that say that the treaty should no longer exist, in reality it is still a beneficial treaty for Mexico,” he said.
He said that Mexico must take care of the treaty fully comply with the Basin of the Bravo River, the Colorado River and the Tijuana River benefit.
Mauricio Jessurun, president of the CICM, said that the treaty is a legal instrument and “is also a symbol of international cooperation and a tool to build a more just, equitable and resilient border in the face of the effects of climate change and population growth.”
He assured that “complying with the commitments of the treaty is also an opportunity to capitalize on its benefits: to guarantee the water supply for the cities of the north of the country, promote agricultural and industrial development, and strengthen a binational vision of co -responsibility and collaboration.”
“Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, leads diplomatic efforts around the treaty, Mexican engineering, and in particular civil engineering, has an inalienable role in the technical aspects that contribute to fulfilling this agreement,” he said.
The treaty was the work of the engineer Adolfo Orive Alba “very well thought out and conceived, so much so that 80 years later, beneficial for our country, that we must take care and that we must comply.”
An agreement signed “when there were 400 thousand inhabitants on the northern border and today there are approximately 15 million, and the amount of water is the same that was 80 years ago.”
He explained that the northern border measures 3,142 kilometers divided into three basins: the Rio Bravo basin, the Colorado River basin and the Tijuana River basin (for the purposes of water quality).
In the latter, he explained, works are being done to address the problem of liquid quality that is delivered to the neighboring country.
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As for delivery and reception of water, Magollón said that there are two main rivers, the Colorado and El Bravo.
In the case of the Colorado River, Mexico receives 1,850 million cubic meters per year from the United States.
He said that the Río Bravo gave rise to building two international dams, the falcon and friendship, and the latter with the largest side of the Mexican Republic, capable of evicting 42 thousand cubic meters per second.
“Mexico is responsible for delivering 2,158 million cubic meters every five years, an average of 431.7 million cubic meters per year. Mexico is deficient in its delivery, so compliance with the treaty is a great challenge, particularly for droughts,” he said.
The official said that in the short term, the higher percentage of the agreed water in the treaty must be assigned to the United States, which is already happening in the 331 act, in addition, Mexican water of international dams of international dams must be transferred to that country, which is already being done and in small quantities, assigning liquid of the Alamo and San Juan rivers.
In the medium term, the irrigation districts have to be technified, such as the 005 of Chihuahua, 025 and 026 of Tamaulipas; Advance desalination and review the issue of groundwater.
In the long term, Marengo Mogollón said that there is an obligation to regulate the use of the Rio Bravo basin; Identify new water sources as possible options, see the possibility of building aqueducts, such as one of the Falcón to Reynosa dam, and saving water in the border area.
“Water in quality and quantity is absolutely necessary for life in populated areas,” he said.
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“People know that the infrastructure we build for the delivery of the supply is really important; obviously the border has its very strong and opportunity problem in water deliveries. Our fundamental objective is that we will reach this liquid in quality and sufficient quantity,” he concluded.
