A tale of Mexico's most exploited—and connected—watersheds: the Basin of Mexico and the Lerma‐Chapala Basin

Abstract

Water management policies and their impacts for both the Basin of Mexico and the Lerma‐Chapala basin—where nearly 25% of Mexico's inhabitants are found—are described. This work shows that the prevailing water management policy has been the augmentation of water supply and neither policies have focused on water savings nor management of water demand. The effects of the large extraction rates on both basins have caused drying‐up of streams due to drawdown rates that reach 2.5 m/year with an associated land subsidence in different cities in these basins. Water management in Mexico needs to change from a water supply approach to a water efficiency approach, where water needs to be efficiently used. Water management will only improve when policies consider both technical and social perspectives. WIREs Water 2018, 5:e1247. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1247This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Planning Water Human Water > Rights to Water Science of Water > Water Extremes