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Managing Water Resources in Mexico in the Context of Climate Change

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Managing Water Resources under Climate Uncertainty

Part of the book series: Springer Water ((SPWA))

Abstract

This chapter analyses water management in Mexico in the context of global environmental change (GEC) and dual environmental and social vulnerability. The research questions are as follows: How can Mexico overcome the present unequal access of water without further destroying the precarious water and food security, and how could small-scale farmers depending now on rainfed agriculture support the recovery of the food sovereignty in the country? To answer this question this chapter studies the development model of integrated water management to explore the nexus between water and food. Mexico has an unequal supply of water: Only 31 % of water is available for 77 % of the population and produces 87 % of the GDP. Furthermore, 77 % of water is used in agriculture often with low efficiency in the arid northern region by agribusiness for exporting vegetables to the USA. The present situation of food insecurity in Mexico is also related to increasing food imports (virtual water) within the framework of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). To a large extent, climate change (CC) induces floods and droughts, which are exacerbated by unsustainable urban development, where the Metropolitan Valley of Mexico City (MVMC) overuses existing aquifers. Therefore, only an environmentally sustainable management of water, recycling and reuse of treated water, will offer this densely populated country food and water security in the future.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The concept of Anthropocene was coined by Crutzen (2002). It relates to the environmental changes produced predominantly by human intervention in the earth system, since the industrial revolution but especially the last five decades due to the deforestation, mining extraction, the intensive use of fossil energy, the rapid increase of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and the pollution and warming of the seas.

  2. 2.

    The Cutzamala system provides one-fifth of the drinking water to the MVMC.

  3. 3.

    Hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene; chloroform used in producing drinking water; bisphenol from plastic containers and coatings; siloxanes from personal care products; brominated organics from fire-retardant clothes; and many other materials are called emergent pollutant.

  4. 4.

    Most of the high-quality landscape in urban areas is owned by the urban bourgeoisie and Estate holders. Therefore, for poor rural immigrants only land in the suburbs and ravines are available with risks of landslides, public insecurity, and lack of basic services.

  5. 5.

    Fossil water was produced in geological remote times and cannot be recovered within the present climate conditions. This water can only be used once and then it is gone for ever. Therefore, fossil water must be carefully administered to grant to people in the future the supply and agricultural use cannot take away from people the possibility to leave in this region. Therefore, fossil water must be carefully administered in order to grant people water supply today and in the future. Fossil waters are not available for agriculture when the aquifer has limited resources.

  6. 6.

    HUGE security: human, gender, and environmental security concept introduced by Oswald Spring Ú (2009).

  7. 7.

    Without doubt, worldwide women still produce at least half of the food for their families basically in orchards around their houses and in poor countries up to 90 %. Cash crops are basically produced for commercial means and cattle feeding, recently also for biofuel. Argentina is now the first producer of biodiesel from soya beans, basically exported to the European Union (IEA 2013).

  8. 8.

    Japan is the first importer of corn with 16 million tons and the Republic of Korea the second with 8.5 million tons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Centre for Regional Multidisciplinary Research (CRIM), Av. Universidad s/n, Circuito 2, Cuernavaca, 62210, Morelos, Mexico

    Úrsula Oswald Spring

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  1. Úrsula Oswald Spring
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Correspondence to Úrsula Oswald Spring .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Water Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand

    Sangam Shrestha

  2. Food Engineering & Bioprocess Technology, Asian Institute of Technology, Klong Luang, Thailand

    Anil K. Anal

  3. School of Env., Res. and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, City, Thailand

    P. Abdul Salam

  4. The Netherlands Ntl. Committee IHP-HWRP, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Michael van der Valk

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Oswald Spring, Ú. (2015). Managing Water Resources in Mexico in the Context of Climate Change. In: Shrestha, S., Anal, A., Salam, P., van der Valk, M. (eds) Managing Water Resources under Climate Uncertainty. Springer Water. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10467-6_18

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