Oaxaca is on the verge of collapse due to water shortages, study shows

Emerquis– The specter of a water crisis is looming in Oaxaca, and federal and state authorities are silent.

According to official documents EmerquisOaxaca is about to face a population shortage.

Authorities can supply only 33% of the water needed by Oaxaca and the metropolitan area.

“Given the population growth in Oaxaca City and its metropolitan area, currently A supply of 1,200 liters per second (lps) of potable water is required; however, existing sources are limited and therefore only 400 lps can be supplied, creating a shortfall of 800 lps.“That is, the population of Oaxaca City and its metropolitan area has an insufficient supply of drinking water,” admits the National Water Commission (Conagua).

Problem gets worse as federal agency admits ‘There are no up-to-date studies to identify strategies and actions that could help define a comprehensive project for the drinking water supply of Oaxaca City and its metropolitan area.

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The municipalities that make up the Oaxaca metropolitan area are: Magdalena Apasco, Nazareno Etla, Oaxaca de Juarez, San Agustin de las Juntas, San Agustin Ata Reni, San Andres Wayapam, San Antonio Delacal, San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Jacinto Amilpas, Animas Trujano, San Lorenzo Socacotepec, San Pablo Etla, Villa de Etla, San Sebastian Tutla, Santa Cruz Amilpas, Santa Cruz Socotlan, Santa Lucia del Camino, Santa Maria Azumpa, Santa Maria Coyotepec, Santa Maria del Tule, Santo Domingo Tomaltepec, Soledad Etla, Tlalista Cabrera de Cabrera and Villa Saachira.

These cities and capitals already face water supply problems.

“at the moment At least 40% of the population buys water from pipes because they do not have adequate access to water through services provided by operating agencies, This did not include the continued population growth of the surrounding colonies. ” Conagua admitted.

The alert was issued because federal agencies recognize that water from private pipes poses a risk to homes in Oaxaca and the metropolitan area.

“Due to a lack of understanding of water sources and a lack of hygiene in handling water sold in pipes, Users can easily spread diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio”, allegedly.

The supply of public drinking water is the responsibility of the Oaxaca State Drinking Water and Sewerage Operating System (SOAPA), which relies on 27 groundwater and 2 surface water sources.

Due to the lack of water for residents, SOAPA had to conduct a trial run of drinking water services, which included scheduling supply to certain communities only on specific days and times, while having to cut off supply to other communities. Schedules to be able to supply other areas.

“This has led to increased dissatisfaction among beneficiaries due to the absence of continuous drinking water services,” it acknowledged.

Today, there are no proposals, strategies and actions to identify a comprehensive project for drinking water supply in the state.

“Due to the overexploitation of the aquifer, the volume of the existing water sources is limited; that is, it is not possible to extract larger flows; nor is it possible to consider a greater extraction of water on the periphery or within the aquifer. The surrounding areas where it is located arise The concave cone was created because it affects groundwater flow to the Zimatlán Valley,” the Conagua report states.

However, whenever we have to drill deeper, the water is not in optimal conditions for use and consumption, and “the quality of the groundwater is severely affected by high levels of iron and manganese.”

In addition, existing surface water sources located in the San Agustin and San Felipe areas present social problems due to excessive fees required to obtain land use permits.

Conagua acknowledges that not only is there little water available, but what is available is not taken care of and is polluted.

“The quality of surface water is affected by residual emissions from the main population living in the valley, which are discharged without prior treatment into the channels of the Atoyac and Salado rivers,” the report states.

Over the years supply has become complex and investment has been minimal.

Sources of supply did not increase, but demand for water did increase due to the construction of new communities, and waste was generated due to the deterioration of water infrastructure.

“Distribution infrastructure has deficiencies, lack of departmentalization, leaks caused by direct pumping of parts of the network, poor condition of pipelines, and poor equipment. Supply hydraulic infrastructure is inadequate. There is no pre-investment study for the construction of new pipelines.” Supply sources, therefore necessary infrastructure has not yet been built,” the federal agency said.

The operations had efficiency issues, did not have an updated user registry, and charged low fees for services.

“Without continuous and safe drinking water services, beneficiaries have stopped paying for services provided by operating agencies as they have to continuously purchase water from pipes, thereby increasing their household expenses,” it noted. .

Through user registration, drinking water service charges were reduced by 40%, leaving no resources for new water investments.reduced operations and maintenance resources for existing infrastructure.

The state of Oaxaca faces a water crisis for which the Fourth Transition, federal and state governments have no solution in the short or medium term, but they are targeting 2024 rather than solving the water shortage problem.

@Alatriste_III

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