It’s not Mexico’s 10-year drug war I want to write about, or the country’s string of ridiculous corruption scandals. Nor do I want to write more than has already been written about the lack of rule of law here.
Instead, I would like to tackle what I believe should be Mexico’s number one priority: guaranteeing the provision of water to its capital.
Mexico City’s problem is not the scarcity of water. Incredibly, there is sufficient rainfall in the valley of Mexico City to meet the needs of the population. The problem is all of that rain is being put straight into the rubbish, literally – because Mexico has failed to pass laws that make rainwater collection a public policy.
Instead, rain falls and is channelled directly into the sewage system, which then travels to the neighbouring state of Hidalgo to irrigate crops – which are then sent back to Mexico to feed the population. As a historian states on my film, H2Omx: “Mexico City sends us all its poo, and we send it back to them as food!”
Since none of the rainfall is being used to supply the metropolis with water, 60% of the city’s water is extracted from the subterranean aquifer, while the other 40% comes from neighbouring states that need the vital liquid themselves, but which are obliged by law to share it with Mexico City.
The city’s aquifer is fast drying up – not surprisingly, given the rate of extraction. Instead of pursuing more long-term solutions, such as a basic rainwater collection policy, the government continues to drill in search of new, deeper aquifers. But there is no guarantee that this investment will provide a solution – and even if it does, it may only be a short-term one while consumption is so high here.
I believe we are experiencing a collective amnesia with regard to water. Neither the government nor the majority of the population appears to consider the issue important. Experts say the valley of Mexico is heading for collapse as early as 2025 if this issue is not addressed. There is nothing to indicate that we are on track to find a solution in time.
As usual in Mexico, we have started to see more initiatives coming from interested parties in the civil sector – but this is not enough. We must demand that our elected officials address the water issue as it should be: the number one priority for the valley of Mexico. However - as we hear from civil engineer Felipe Ochoa in the film - Mexico has a tremendous educational and social deficit, and this is the main reason for our collective water amnesia.
Photograph: Jose Cohen/H2Omx
During the past couple of years, the government has been focusing on a new energy bill that will allow foreign capital to invest in Pemex, Mexico’s old state oil company. Why is the Mexican government so keen to open up an industry that is proven to be dirty and expensive for the planet, when we could be pushing through clean energy reforms? There’s certainly enough sun to power the population.
The government has been opening up the telecommunications sector to increase competition and the supply of internet services, which is wonderful. But how useful will the internet be if we don’t have drinking water? Human beings can still live without the internet or oil – but water?
When we launched H2Omx, we invited the Mexican government to join the cause – but unfortunately they have largely ignored this potential tool for better informing the population. It wasn’t until the World Bank invited us to screen the film that officials from Conagua (the national water commission) finally saw the film.
After the viewing, the Conagua officials were uncomfortable. Sat in front of the World Bank officials (whose institution has provided millions of dollars to Mexico over the years to invest in the water infrastructure), their only response to the film was: why didn’t the filmmaker highlight all the good things that we have done? Why did the film only focus on the negative?
I do hope that in 2025, the headlines coming out of Mexico are not about a water crisis. But without serious collective action, we are heading towards a collapse that should worry all sectors of society.
José Cohen is the director and co-producer of H2Omx. Watch the trailer here
