By Valeria Lara Rosas and Juan Emiliano Casbis Hernández

Introduction

Water is an essential resource for humans and our existence. We consume water and we are also composed of this element. Our species is not capable of living on land without water, therefore, this issue should and will be one of the most closely monitored topics in the near future.

In Cuernavaca (and even in Morelos), water distribution has encountered many problems related to the quantity of water reaching the populations throughout the state, thus affecting people in every region. Around 80% of the water network is obsolete due to lack of updates, coupled with the fact that the population continues to grow, and there is no investment in the maintenance of the required infrastructure (Bnamericas, 2015).

The growth of our city and population is crucial for the state’s water distribution system, as it generates demand and increases drought. Poor distribution of this valuable resource will result in future generations living in droughts and water scarcity if we do not take immediate action.

In Morelos, the vast majority of the water we have comes from underground resources. Something important to mention is that the Chichinautzin mountain range is a crucial element for water filtration in the state due to its location and properties that make this process possible (Vera, 2018).

Unfortunately, this mountain along with other geohydrological formations in the state such as the aquifers of Cuernavaca and Tlayecac have been irresponsibly exploited despite collecting 16% of the annual volume of water precipitation, reaching the highest filtration volume in the state (Monroy-Ortiz, 2006). This not only demonstrates that we obtain a lot of water from natural elements surrounding us but also how irresponsible it has been not to take care of them and distribute them inequitably. These geohydrological structures are located in Cuernavaca, the metropolitan area of Morelos, which has prioritized the people living in this area and companies, instead of distributing them equitably throughout the entire region.

There are several factors that limit the efficiency of water distribution, one of them being the demand from economic activities in the area, and the terrain patterns causing all the water concentration of the region to be in Cuernavaca. In the city, permeability is affected by the extension of concrete and asphalt, which cover 75% of the urban area. This high soil occupancy density has developed over half a century, during which water concentration patterns have changed drastically, including the fact that this, along with other constructions and structures, have used enormous amounts of water.

In this regard, with the increase of urban areas in our region comes a challenge for water conservation, its effective use, and how to ensure that the entire population has access to it.

Likewise, the desertification of non-urbanized areas is also a looming risk for our state and should be a more addressed topic because everyone needs water, and people shouldn’t suffer from shortages of this resource due to an obsolete system. Additionally, in the last decade, the use of water for commercial purposes has accounted for around 70% of urban growth in the region.

An example of this is department stores and new supermarkets that have started to open; these have been the most prominent elements of the problem, along with the paving for parking spaces.

The growing demand from these economic activities, coupled with population growth, has pressured and even threatened our current water reserves.

In 2003, it was estimated that state extraction was 1001 cubic meters. Surface sources cover the largest percentage of demand; however, urban and industrial uses, in particular, rely on underground sources, as previously mentioned, and this poses a significant risk to the water we all use.

Conclusion

Priority should be given to water conservation in Cuernavaca, rather than simply being used for commercial activities, thinking about the population and recognizing that measures must be taken to make this resource available to everyone and make it last for future generations, because it is our responsibility. Not only that, but also demanding better management from the government and better conditions for the care and distribution of water. As individuals, we have the power to speak up about what bothers us and what we want from our government, which we should demand better ways to control water for the population, update the infrastructure through which water is distributed, inform citizens of their rights regarding water use, and also how to conserve it themselves. Similarly, we should urge that companies have limited access to water, prioritizing the population and caring for the natural resources we have in our state.

References

Aldama-Assam, H. R. (22 de marzo, 2021). Consume cada habitante de Morelos hasta 275 lt de agua al día. Recovered from https://www.diariodemorelos.com

Bnamericas. (6 de enero, 2015). Ciudad mexicana busca modernizar sistema de distribución. Recovered from https://www.bnamericas.com/

Gobierno del Estado de Morelos. (2019). Programa Estatal Hídrico 2019-2024. Recovered from hwww.hacienda.morelos.gob.mx

Monroy-Ortiz, R. (marzo-abril, 2006). El agua en Cuernavaca. La ruta de la insustentabilidad. Economía Informa, (339), 46-57. Recovered from http://www.economia.unam.mx

Vera, N. (27 de septiembre, 2018). El bosque de agua: ¿qué es y por qué te importa? Recovered from https://oxfammexico.org y https://youtu.be/