Mexico: Announcement of Mexico’s National Hydric Plan

The Plan will serve as a baseline — during the period 2024-2030 — for legislative, administrative and infrastructure developments in the country regarding water extraction and use.
05 Dec 2024    2 minute read

In brief

On 21 November 2024, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico and Efraín Morales López, head of the National Water Commission ("CONAGUA"), formally unveiled the National Hydric Plan for the period 2024-2030 ("Hydric Plan").

The Hydric Plan has four strategic pillars: i) hydric policy and national sovereignty; ii) justice and water access; iii) environmental impact mitigation and climate change adaptation; and iv) comprehensive and transparent management.

Contents

Key takeaways

Among the main proposals and measures included in the Plan are the following:

  • The Federal Executive will conduct a review of current registered water concession titles, in order to identify cases of under-utilization of authorized volumes and reincorporate them into the available national inventory. CONAGUA will also enable a new complaint-based system of inspections, that will allow citizens to report alleged misuses or non-compliance with water regulations.
  • The Hydric Plan denounces hoarding, overexploitation, and speculative practices from the industrial sector. It proposes, without providing much detail, amendments to existing regulations on water concession transfers, change of use, and partial lapsing procedures.
  • CONAGUA will simplify and digitalize the administrative procedures it currently oversees, including those pertaining to water concession titles. This simplification policy includes the implementation of digital records for each administrative procedure, as well as other efforts to reduce CONAGUA's response times.
  • The Hydric Plan contemplates a "National Technification Program", in coordination with the Federal Agriculture Ministry ("SAGARPA"), aimed at achieving a more efficient water use in more than 200,000 hectares of agricultural land. It also foresees the execution of 16 hydric infrastructure projects in the country, with an emphasis on regions where recent droughts have resulted in water shortages for the population.
  • CONAGUA will oversee the signature of a National Agreement between public authorities, industry players and irrigation districts, through which these last two will voluntarily agree to waive their rights to extract more than 2,500 million cubic meters of water. The Agreement's objective is to direct these cubic meters towards human consumption in urban areas of the country afflicted by droughts.
  • In the near future, CONAGUA is expected to issue a decree to simplify the regularization of expired water concession titles. This measure is expected to benefit mostly small and mid-sized water concession holders from the agricultural sector, which will also be offered new subsidies, programs, and credits.

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For further information and to discuss what this development might mean for you, please get in touch with your usual Baker McKenzie contact.

Manuel Rodriguez Balleza, Law Clerk, has contributed to this legal update.

Contact Information
Federico Ruanova Guinea
Senior Counsel
Tijuana
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federico.ruanova-guinea@bakermckenzie.com
Alejandra Muriel-Vizcaino
Associate
Guadalajara
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alejandra.muriel-vizcaino@bakermckenzie.com

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