On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the federal government and the state of Jalisco will jointly invest about US$1.3 billion to improve water supply and quality in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, the country’s second-most-populous metropolitan area.
RELATED:
Mexico Deploys Special Mission as Hurricane Vance Nears Pacific Coast
During her morning news conference, she explained that her administration will contribute US$777 million, while Jalisco will allocate US$547 million.
“The good news is that the joint investment will prevent the need to take on debt and will make it possible to carry out this very important project for the country’s second-most-populous metropolitan area,” Sheinbaum said.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus said the agreement will address a longstanding problem of water service interruptions and poor water quality that has affected residents of Guadalajara and neighboring municipalities for generations. He stressed that the projects will not involve new debt, privatization, or water rate increases.
For decades, Guadalajara has faced water supply and contamination problems, exacerbated by the deterioration of hydraulic infrastructure that is more than 70 years old in some sections. Some of the water supplied from Lake Chapala flows through open channels exposed to domestic and industrial discharges, while various neighborhoods experience service interruptions and irregular water distribution.
Efrain Morales, director of the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), explained that federal investment will fund two new aqueducts, with construction set to begin in early 2027 and last approximately two years. The projects will increase water supply by 1,200 liters per second, equivalent to providing water to half a million people, and improve water quality over the next 30 years.
Contamination and Water Supply Interruptions
The state of Jalisco will allocate about US$402 million to renovate the Miravalle water treatment plant, which is about 70 years old. Lemus explained that the first phase will begin operating in April 2027 and that all work will be completed in approximately two years.
Authorities are also working to clean up channels and dams affected by polluting discharges and to build collectors to protect water from Lake Chapala.
Sheinbaum said about 150 unauthorized discharges have been identified, 80 of which have already been shut down. The project also aims to make full use of the infrastructure at the El Zapotillo Dam, built during the administration of former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (2018-2024).
teleSUR/ JF
Source : EFE
