The Autonomous Water Comptroller’s Office warned about the growing scarcity and contamination of water in the region, while concessions continue to be granted for its indiscriminate use by companies. From 1992 to 2023, 488 thousand concessions have been granted, which represents an average of one concession every 32 minutes, which further aggravates the water crisis that Yucatan is going through.
Cuauhtémoc Jacobo Femat, a member of the collective, described the situation as “scandalous” that despite the serious threat, the authorities continue to grant permits for the extensive use of this vital resource. In particular, he mentioned the case of the brewery located in Hunucmá, which has 2.5 million cubic meters of water concessioned annually, an amount four times greater than that consumed by the entire municipality, which shows the imbalance in the distribution of the resource.
He stressed the urgency of declaring the area as “closed,” that is, prohibiting new permits for the use of water in the region, and stressed that guaranteeing the water right requires returning control of the resource to the communities. “We do not want a patched-up law, we want a new general water law,” he emphasized, calling for a review of current policies that allow the overexploitation of water.
On January 30, Mérida will host the discussion of the proposals received during the forum “Towards water transformation,” organized by the National Water Commission (Conagua). That same day, the Autonomous Water Comptroller’s Office will hold a press conference to present its proposals and positions on the matter.
Jacobo Femat insisted on the need for stricter regulation for companies, not only to protect the karst soil of the region but to prevent more industries from continuing to establish themselves without considering the effects on the water resource. He stressed that it is essential for the authorities to implement sanction mechanisms for those companies that violate regulations or that aggravate the water crisis.
He also stressed the importance of consulting local communities before approving changes in land use or new water exploitation permits. “Every time there is an authorization, there must be free and independent consultation with the local communities,” he said.
The member of the Autonomous Water Comptroller’s Office also warned about plans to promote the Yucatan Peninsula as a niche of opportunities for the installation of industries but stressed the need to define what type of industries wanted to be attracted, taking into account their impact on water and the environment.
TYT Newsroom
