Ven necesario replantear modelo de gestión hídrico

León, Guanajuato. Specialists from international organizations, the Ministry of Economy and sector consultants agreed that Mexico needs to fundamentally change its water management model, rethink financing and accelerate technological adoption, including artificial intelligence, to avoid the water collapse that several regions of the country are already facing.

Mario Fernando Loria, principal executive of CAF–Development Bank of Latin America, warned that investment in water "cannot focus only on infrastructure". Although it is the most expensive part, he said, projects must incorporate social, environmental and institutional sustainability, with solutions "tailored" for each region.

Loria recalled that 70 million people in Mexico do not have secure access to water, according to United Nations data. Given this scenario, he noted that CAF made a commitment to increase its annual investment up to 1,000 million dollars per year in Latin America to reduce access gaps.

Francisco Núñez Escudero, head of the Water Sector at the Ministry of Economy, criticized that in Mexico investment continues to be evaluated "only from the expenditure perspective", when what is fundamental is measuring social, economic and financial benefits.

He assured that the department promotes policies to adapt solutions to each locality, promote innovation and adjust the legal framework so that governments prioritize technologies made in Mexico, which would also generate employment and allow systems to be adapted to the country's conditions. "There are systems that work in Asia or Spain, but not necessarily in Mexico," he pointed out.

Núñez indicated that the country must transition to distributed collection models, similar to the energy transition towards distributed generation, to reduce risks and better take advantage of rain that today ends up in the sea without use.

For his part, José Eduardo Mestre, consultant and former international official in water issues, emphasized that Mexico must leave behind "the idea that the federal government must finance everything" and build self-sustainable models, where water "pays for water", as established by law and international standards.

He explained that in different countries artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used to optimize water treatment plants, improve water balances, reduce pollutants and monitor complex systems in real time. Mexico —he said— cannot fall behind and must promote more research and national technological development.

He also warned that the generalized free service is unsustainable: cities like Guadalajara or Mexico City pay rates well below the real cost. Without adjustments, he stated, there will be no resources for maintenance or expansion.