We know that rainfall is not uniformly distributed on the planet through the seasons and years. About 75% of global annual rainfall occurs in areas where only 33% of the world population lives. In other words, 67% of the population lives in areas of the planet that only receive 25% of the water available annually. For example, each year 20% of the water received by planet Earth remains in the Amazon basin, a vast region where only 10 million people live. Something similar happens in Africa, where the Congo River and its tributaries capture 30% of the water that that continent receives, but in that basin only 10% of the African population lives.
It is stated that water issues will have to change much more in the next 25 years than in the last 2000 years. Most medium- and long-term predictions show that water scarcity will be an increasingly frequent problem, especially in developing countries. On the other hand, the most optimistic hope that these predictions are not entirely accurate, since profound technological changes related to the availability and quality of water could occur in the coming decades. The truth is that even though the predictions about the increasing scarcity of the resource may be pessimistic, the risk of a serious water crisis continues to exist, since in addition to the greater or lesser physical scarcity of the resource,Problems arise that are sometimes not given the attention they deserve, such as the impossibility of facing the enormous investments necessary to improve the quality and increase the availability of the resource. There are two types of water scarcity: physical scarcity, when consumption exceeds availability, and economic scarcity when you have enough water but there is no investment to store, extract and transport it.
In humid regions, water management focuses on flood control, while in arid areas, it focuses on problems derived from the scarcity of the resource and its efficient use. The water sector is a very important integral part of the global system, and is conditioned by factors that shape the international order, so it will be subject to profound changes to respond to global impacts, such as population growth, technological innovation, expansion of globalization process, climate change and transformation of national and international policies. Competition for water use between agriculture, industry and population limits economic development in some countries, and as population and economy grow, competition for water will intensify,as well as conflicts between different water users. Globally, 70% of the water is used in agriculture, 20% in industry, and 10% to supply the population. It is estimated that we use around 50% of the available water on the planet, but the statistics hide global, continental, national and regional imbalances, in some cases extremely serious. There are nations that for now do not suffer from a strong general water shortage, but have serious deficits in several regions. Climatic diversity in Mexico fosters variations in hydrological regimes and a very uneven distribution of rainfall. Meteorological phenomena such as El Niño, tropical storms and hurricanes, alternate with periods of prolonged droughts, not only in arid or semi-arid areas, but also in more humid areas.
In addition to availability, deterioration in water quality is also a serious problem, much more critical than is often assumed. Recent estimates from the Third World Center for Water Management indicate that in Latin America only 6% of wastewater is treated and purified. The Aquastat report (FAO 2000) concludes that in developing countries, the percentage of treated wastewater is extremely low. Most of the urban and industrial wastewater is discharged directly into drainage channels, and is sometimes used directly for irrigation with serious health consequences. Waterborne diseases affect more than 2 billion people worldwide. More than 100 million people are affected by malaria.The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 2 million children die each year from diseases related to water intake that do not meet adequate hygiene conditions. This scenario tends to worsen, as urban growth reaches unforeseen proportions. Today there are more than 1.5 billion people in the world who do not have a constant supply of water or sanitation. These figures could double if urgent actions are not taken to remedy the situation.Today there are more than 1.5 billion people in the world who do not have a constant supply of water or sanitation. These figures could double if urgent actions are not taken to remedy the situation.Today there are more than 1.5 billion people in the world who do not have a constant supply of water or sanitation. These figures could double if urgent actions are not taken to remedy the situation.
Some developing countries have information about the hydraulic investments required to increase water availability and quality, but the heavy investments required are unaffordable. This situation is aggravated when transfers from the systems to the private sector are carried out without the efficient support and supervision of the State. The hydraulic projects to be developed can have a strong social, economic and environmental impact. According to some estimates, the real cost per cubic meter of water in less developed countries could increase 1.75 to 3.0 times due to the generation of hydraulic projects to satisfy demand.
The unavoidable question: Where will the necessary resources come from to finance the enormous hydraulic investments that are required? Some governments in developing countries maintain high levels of public debt and try to reduce public spending. The capacity to generate public resources in these countries is very limited, which hinders not only public investment, but also private investment. Water is a fundamental factor in food production, especially in regions where rainfall is scarce, or is poorly distributed in space and time. FAO data indicates that the irrigated area in Latin America and the Caribbean has grown significantly (Aquastat 2000), from 8 million hectares in 1960, to 18 million hectares in 1990.The expansion of irrigated areas exert strong pressure on water resources, causing situations of scarcity and degradation of the resource. When the demand for water grows, scarcity becomes an obstacle to development.
FAO estimates indicate that to maintain minimum levels of food security, it would be necessary to develop an additional 40 million hectares of irrigation in developing countries. Developing 40 million hectares of irrigation would mean making investments of more than 250 billion dollars. Some of these countries are heavily indebted, and their access to international loans is very limited. So it seems unlikely to make enough investment, however it will be necessary to find resources to invest, otherwise in the medium and long term there could be a deterioration in food security, with all the social, political and economic consequences that a situation of This nature can carry with it.
The privatization model of water for industrial use in England and Wales has been the subject of attention from the rest of the world. The process began in the 1970s, from the regionalization of water services, to later in 1980 privatize the management of water for industrial use. The model is based on the regionalization of the water supply, so that in each region there is a monopoly of the company in charge of the supply. Thus, the 10 regional and 29 statutory companies are in charge of supplying the consumer and of the purification and sanitation processes. Performance is supervised by three state agencies: 1. Ministry of Health for questions about water pollution. 2. General Directorate of Water Services, regulates supply, rates and quality. 3.Four government entities and the basin authority supervise management based on environmental law. Source: OECD (1999) and OFWAT (2000).
The complex economic nature of water justifies the need for public sector intervention, because the resource is absolutely necessary for life. Water policy must contemplate the sustainable and balanced development of societies, economic planning, territorial planning, conservation and protection of the environment. Water policy in Mexico should not be of a final nature, but a means to achieve higher-ranking territorial, social and economic ends.
The water problems in Mexico are not solved by reading an economic landscape falsely called "economy", much less by a chain of charities. You have to invest and legislate about it. The political class in Mexico is very busy contesting power with claws without the slightest ethical concern, and without having previously won the present. The dynamics of their personal, vulgar and violent struggles show citizens a disappointing form of political competitiveness without real competitors. We see how the evil form of power is transformed into appearance and absence of power. Scandals and witchcraft for the inquisition seek disqualification or aggressive ratification, not the encounter with rational forms, without fleeing from politics.
The population in Mexico seeks equity in development, but political inertia based on cunning and not intelligence; in the survival of some and not in free solidarity, it paralyzes the possibilities of development. In this way development becomes utopia. In effect, the political class looks for the quarrel, not the concord, the controversy (war), not the dialogue that presupposes listening to the other to fulfill the fundamental premise of democracy.
In no way do we Mexicans deserve moral poverty, nor the cynicism of some officials, legislators, and leaders of political parties that jointly influence the future of the nation. It is evident that the behavior of many politicians would be badly compared when compared to the feats that millions of Mexicans face to survive with dignity and honor. So the political class in Mexico is not a reflection of the population it represents.
