Decentralized Water Infrastructure and Peri-Urban Water Security: Policy Challenges and Opportunities in Rainwater Harvesting Initiatives in Mexico City

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Like other megacities worldwide, Mexico City faces significant water security challenges in a context of rapid urbanization and climate change. The impacts of water stress are particularly harsh in the city’s unplanned peri-urban settlements, where reliable centralized municipal water is often unavailable. In response, decentralized solutions such as rainwater harvesting have become an important tool for a variety of stakeholders to improve access to water and sanitation and to enhance climate resilience. However, many details about how best to ensure safe management, safe water quality, and long-term sustainability to these systems remain unresolved. Drawing from our field observations and insights from local practitioners, in this article we demonstrate the varying attitudes, experiences, and perspectives with rainwater harvesting systems. We discuss the opportunities and barriers to the long-term uptake of decentralized water technologies and examine approaches to responsibly integrate water technologies and innovations, community participation, and water rights. We will also discuss the role of various stakeholders in creating an enabling environment for community-based water innovations. This article highlights the importance of a long-term and holistic perspective to decentralized infrastructure initiatives and calls for evidence-based innovation, which integrates citizen participation/ownership, public awareness, and localized risk management.