Mexican President Vows To Pay U.S. Water Debt, Despite Opposition From Citizens
Mexico has until October 24, 2020, to pay back a water debt to the United States, per a decades-old water-sharing pact between the two countries. Although his citizens have taken action to protest the arrangement, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has vowed that the debt will be paid.
“Mexico’s president vowed … to repay the country’s water debt to the United States, even if it means asking farmers in Mexican states along the U.S. border to pitch in,” The San Diego Union-Tribune explained. “Mexico still has to transfer almost a year’s worth of water to meet the deadline.”
A 1944 treaty between the two countries indicates that Mexico must deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. within a five-year period, while Mexico receives water from the U.S. via the Colorado River.
But making good on this vow will not be easy. In addition to the sheer quantity of water owed by Mexico, it appears that some strong popular opinion opposes Obrador’s plan. According to Mexico’s National Water Commission, Chihuahua has suffered moderate or severe drought for more than six months, and its neighboring regions are struggling with source-water scarcity as well. This has led some protestors to claim their much-needed water is being “stolen” from them, according to reports.
“Protesters gathered … in drought-hit northern Mexico in an attempt to retain control of a dam key to government efforts to diffuse tensions over a water-sharing pact with the United States,” per VOA News. “Protestors took control of the La Boquilla dam in Chihuahua, which borders New Mexico, in September… A protestor was killed in gunfire from the Mexican National Guard after the early protest.”
Despite the protestors’ anger, Obrador has been working to remain in President Trump’s good graces, at least publicly.
“…Obrador has said in the past he would appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump for ‘understanding’ if Mexico couldn’t make the deadline, and … he once again thanked Trump for being ‘respectful’ of Mexico on other issues,” the Union-Tribune reported.
Even with a cordial personal relationship between the presidents, this issue is unlikely to be resolved cleanly. While Mexican citizens protest the notion of taking their own water sources to pay the debt, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has reportedly asked the U.S. State Department to help enforce the treaty. As source water becomes more stressed around the world, tension around this treaty and agreements like it will probably only grow as well.
To read more about drought issues, visit Water Online’s Source Water Scarcity Solutions Center.