Mexico’s President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to implement a large-scale water plan for central Mexico, one of the first steps in a broader national strategy to address shortages following concerns about poor distribution and frequent droughts.
Hit by higher temperatures and delayed rains that had residents facing limited water supplies, Mexico City and the surrounding area became a rallying point for people putting pressure on the new president to come up with a solution amid concerns of a possible “Day Zero” for water access.
At an event with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaum vowed to improve water access for the area alongside Mexico City’s new mayor Clara Brugada, the adjoining Mexico State’s Governor Delfina Gomez, and Hidalgo State’s Governor Julio Menchaca.
“Side by side, we will work on a major water plan,” she said from Tula, Hidalgo. “We’re going to recover the Tula River, and do a big river cleanup, and make it possible to have drinking water, which is a right for everyone in the central region of the country.”
Prior to the June presidential vote, she released a series of campaign proposals to ensure cities are not short of water, including potentially reviewing water laws, making irrigation more efficient, and expanding the use of treated water. Sheinbaum also pledged to address contamination from the Tula refinery and to decontaminate the river.
San Miguel Times
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