Polski
Mexico’s water crisis is being faced not only by residents of the capital. Local communities living in the state of Michoacan, located in the mountains west of Mexico, have also been struggling for a long time. In the region, rivers and even entire lakes are disappearing, and there is a shortage of water necessary for life and irrigation of agricultural crops. Michoacan residents blame the use, in commercial farming areas, of illegal irrigation practices for the condition. Their desperation reached its zenith in recent days and they decided to take matters into their own hands.
What is the water crisis in Mexico due to?
Mexico’s ongoing water crisis is due to a number of reasons. These include, first and foremost, rapid climate change, as well as the region’s specific geographic location and disorderly urban development, as we wrote more about in the article Mexico – one of the world’s largest agglomerations facing a water crisis .
The state of Michoacan in Mexico, once known for its lush, green landscapes, is now facing serious water shortage problems, including the drying up of rivers and lakes. This situation is due not only to natural climatic factors, but also to the intensive development of commercial export crops such as avocados.
Lake Cuitzeo and Lake Patzcuaro, which had been a symbol of Mexican folkloric tradition and a popular tourist destination, especially during Día de los Muertos celebrations on Janitzio Island, have begun to dry up. Local authorities have taken steps to diagnose the causes of this phenomenon, which have revealed that water loss in Lake Patzcuaro is as high as 50 percent. and is caused by human activity, including illegal abstractions for irrigation of avocado plantations.
As reported by local police, the scale of this problem is huge. Growers steal up to several hundred thousand liters of water a day, leading to the degradation of the landscape in the region and exacerbating Mexico’s water crisis. In addition, by creating plantations, they also contribute to the deforestation of this area of the country, thus disrupting the water cycle in the catchment areas.
Among those facing the consequences of the illegal activities of avocado growers are the residents of Villa Madero, a town in the valley that until recently was surrounded by hills covered with lush pine forests. Starting in 2022. The landscape around it has changed dramatically, however, as a result of illegal logging and the takeover of surrounding land by growers, who are not only depleting groundwater but also capturing water from streams and rivers, leading to a water crisis in the Mexican state of Michoacan.
Conflict between mexicans and commercial growers escalates
The situation, in Villa Madero has been escalating in recent days. Residents of the village, along with farm workers and farmers facing water shortages, decided to take matters into their own hands. Supported by local activists, they moved to the surrounding hills covered with avocado trees to destroy illegal irrigation equipment that drew water from mountain springs, thereby taking away access to it for local residents. Their actions, however, are no exception.
In early April of this year, another group of Villa Madero residents forced their way into the plantation area and, using pickaxes and shovels, destroyed illegal land reclamation sapping the natural water source that had provided access for hundreds of years before plantations appeared in the area.
Can open conflict between planters and Villa Madero residents be prevented?
In the state of Michoacan, Mexico, the situation surrounding the water crisis is becoming increasingly tense. In recent weeks there have been an increasing number of incidents in which local people have entered avocado plantation areas, destroying illegal irrigation systems. These actions can escalate a conflict for which both sides are not equally prepared. Avocado growers are often supported by drug cartels, which can lead to violent clashes. In response to rising tensions, state police began patrols along the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro last week to prevent illegal water abstractions. Prevention efforts also include stopping truck drivers who are caught filling tankers with water from the lake.
Instead, Villa Madero residents are trying to find a compromise, proposing that growers limit water withdrawals from local sources to 20 percent, leaving 80 percent to be taken from local sources. For the needs of the valley. However, this proposal, aimed at securing access to water for the local community, remains unanswered.
The escalating situation in Michoacan reflects a larger natural resource management problem that requires urgent action at both the local and national levels to prevent further escalation of the conflict and potential bloodshed.
