Need to improve the use and distribution of water

By Pablo Escobedo
@pabloescobedo on Twitter

12 months ago, water scarce in Mexico. There was talk that the fluid pipes up to twice the price of its service and the lack of it in various colonies of Mexico City. But according to Vidal Garza Cantu, director of the FEMSA Foundation, the problem is not lack of fluid, is the way the use we give it and how is distributed. "The water today is the same as it has been for hundreds of years. In Mexico, there is little water available for human use and development of the industry", said the manager.
An average Mexican citizen can consume liquid 3,900 cubic meters annually, although the difference between states is abysmal. "Mexico's challenge is to find a balance, because although in some southern states the abundance of water makes these 3,900 cubic meters 10 times, in the north, Nuevo Leon and Sonora the average of consumption is only 2,000”.
"The other big challenge is how to make the field in the agricultural sector can reduce the amount of water and have same or better results to which they have now," adds to the problem of fluid consumption.
Given this concern, they created the Water Center for Latin America and the Caribbean, which serve as partners FEMSA, the Tec of Monterrey and the Inter-American Development Bank and have programs for the sustainable use of the liquid. "We have lead the way in this activity so we put a very formal organizations. What has happened is that people come to us. After Chiapas, it approached the government of Tabasco. Conagua is also interested, said Garza Cantu about working with allies.
Some of the objectives of the Water Center is to focus efforts on the formal and informal training to meet the needs of the region's water, establish research programs on issues related to the use and management of water, and create and develop a platform to integrate information from Latin America on the liquid.
Within the watershed study program in Mexico, drawing a data collection and processing of samples taken, a journey of recognition of the same, additional monitoring of water quality in tributaries and mainstream, and finally a evaluation document and action plan for the watershed contribution.
With the emergence, it also works
Among the programs that the Centre have, is the vehicle to respond to natural disasters, which states: "Develop and implement a vehicle equipped with specialized equipment to provide drinking water and basic services to the communities that required after an emergency caused by natural disasters in order to meet the basic needs of the population and prevent disease".

This article was published in the newspaper El Economista.