| Water resources management in Mexico | |
|---|---|
| Withdrawals by sector 2008 |
|
| Surface water produced internally | 361 km3 (87 cu mi) |
| Groundwater recharge | 139 km3 (33 cu mi) |
| Overlap shared by surface water and groundwater | 91 km3 (22 cu mi) |
| External renewable water resources | 48.22 10^9 m3 per capita |
| Renewable water resources per capita | 3,606 m3 (127,300 cu ft) |
| Wetland designated as Ramsar sites | 53,178.57 km2 (13,140,710 acres) |
| Hydropower generation | 22% |
Water resources management is a significant challenge for Mexico. The country has in place a system of water resources management that includes both central (federal) and decentralized (basin and local) institutions. Furthermore, water management is imposing a heavy cost to the economy.
The arid northwest and central regions contain 77% of Mexico's population and generate 87% of the gross domestic product (GDP).[1] By contrast, the poorer southern regions have abundant water resources. Surface and groundwater resources are overall overexploited and polluted thus leading to an insufficient water availability to support economic development and environmental sustainability. These challenges are expected to become more complicated as climate change creates more extreme weather and further heat and dry weather in already arid regions.
- ^ CONAGUA. Estadísticas del Agua en México, Edición 2008
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