Water is no longer a human right
In Querétaro, the local Congress approved the privatization of potable water services.
By: Abigail A. Correa Cisneros
Drought stalks the whole country. Climate change is wreaking havoc in various parts of México, whether due to floods, fires or drought. In the midst of this situation, the people of Querétaro are now facing the privatization of water, after the approval of a law that grants concessions to private companies.
What several civil organizations have been warning about for weeks has become a reality in the Querétaro Congress. The majority of PAN congressmen approved the privatization of the drinking water service through operators who will be in charge of granting and charging citizens for the distribution, drainage and hydraulic works in the 18 municipalities of the state.
This is not bad, as long as a quality service is offered and the companies do not take advantage of the population’s need. In several parts of the country this is a reality; but corruption has allowed the plundering of aquifers under individual interests.
Querétaro has 26 dams that are already in a critical state, below 50 percent of their capacity. There is also an alert for the death of animals. A few days ago, the president of the Regional Livestock Union of Querétaro (UGRQ), Alejandro Ugalde Tinoco, stated that in the Querétaro Sierra the first four animal deaths were registered due to lack of water; therefore, he warned that if water is not available, the same could happen in San Juan del Río and the other municipalities.
The National Water Commission (Conagua) reports that 39 percent of the state’s surface area is in abnormally dry conditions, 29.9 percent in moderate drought and 31.1 percent in severe drought.
The purpose of this new law is to regulate the provision of public drinking water, drinking water treatment, drainage, sewerage, sanitation, wastewater treatment and disposal services in the state, including the recirculation and reuse of water, and mechanisms for its distribution and transportation.
Civil organizations have said that the approval did not contemplate important aspects for the regulation of water, such as its relationship with the ecological support of life, the rural context and climate change. In addition, its approval was made with inconsistencies and in a very early manner, according to the PRI deputy, Paul Ospital.
The mismanagement of this law exposes the population of Jaalisco to shortages because on other occasions these concessions are granted to private companies that use them for large real estate developments, excluding those who have the least.
IN OTHER NEWS
In the framework of World Bee Day, the General Coordination of Livestock of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development highlighted that, at the close of 2021, México produced 63,400 tons of honey, which was an increase of 17 percent compared to the 54,200 tons registered a year ago, which keeps national beekeeping in the first places of the livestock subsector, due to its economic and social importance. The commercial exploitation of bees takes place mainly in the southeast of the country, in entities such as Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo and Chiapas. There are currently around 43,000 beekeepers nationwide, registered in 508 specialized livestock associations, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The economic income generated by this activity benefits one of the most unprotected rural sectors, favors the development of related industries and generates temporary jobs during the honey harvest season.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
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