The approval came after the majority of Morena decided to speed up the discussion and approval of the reform. After the general endorsement, the discussion began in particular with more than 520 reservations and 154 speakers noted, although it is expected that the debate will be compacted.
In the discussion, the parliamentary groups shared blame for hoarding and profiting from water concessions, which politicians and former governors have assigned to themselves.
“This little PRI angel agro-industry DUN, 50 million 100 thousand cubic meters hoarded, César Duarte of the PRI (former governor of Chihuahua). Another little angel, Vicente Fox (former president and expanist), 5.1 million cubic meters hoarded under the protection of power, this is what is coming to an end,” stated the Morenista Gabriel García.
However, there was a prompt response, as PAN member Annia Gómez Cárdenas accused: “in those lists that have been mentioned so much, they mention names of those who are ranchers or farmers. Former minister Olga Sánchez Cordero is a notary. Why do you want a concession of 2.6 million cubic meters per year? If you are going to point the finger at us, look at yourselves first!”
The second mentioned, the Institutional Revolutionary (PRI) distanced itself from its former governor. “We agree: put them in the boat, re-fund them,” challenged PRI member Luis Gerardo Sánchez.
Why is there rejection of the Water Law?
The endorsed package consists of a new regulatory General Water Law, where the human right to water was recognized, powers are also distributed among the different levels of government and the foundations are laid for entities to issue their own standards.
The National Water Law regulates article 27 of the Constitution to strengthen the stewardship of the State and gives more instruments to the National Water Commission (Conagua).
The central claim of the peasant sector is that the proposed General Water Law prohibits the transmission of water concessions, with which land alone loses its value, as the land-water binomial is broken.
During the last week, Morena did make modifications to the initiative originally proposed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, but maintained in article 22 that “the rights protected by the concessions and assignments will not be subject to transmission.”
In addition, articles 33 to 25 were repealed, which authorized the transfer of rights to exploit, use or take advantage of subsoil waters.
Later, in a contradictory manner and therefore without offering legal certainty, as stated by the opposition, the possibility that there was a transfer of concessions was included.
In article 37 Bis it was stated that Conagua may authorize the reallocation of volumes in a maximum of 20 business days and will issue a new concession title, “when ownership of a property associated with a concession title is transferred. In cases of merger and division of civil or commercial companies.”
This will be possible in favor of the person who certifies the rights of property, representation or succession.
However, given the contradiction, the opposition accused a lack of legal certainty and the impossibility of this transmission of rights between peasant families being fulfilled, with which access to water and therefore agricultural production will be at risk.
Paulo González Martínez, deputy of the National Action Party (PAN), recalled that Conagua is unable to comply, with a delay in resolutions and a cut of one billion pesos by 2026, since of 37 billion it will exercise 36 billion pesos next year, “this is a recipe for collapse.”
“Any water investment is tied to the mood of the government; the operation depends on political, not technical, authorization” and that is why there will be political control, accused PAN member Marcelo Torres.
“A law without a budget is a scam,” and he added, the objective is “to keep the key to the water to use it as power,” he said.
Leticia Barrera, from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), recalled that there are more than 130 thousand pending resolutions to be issued in Conagua and will not be able to attend to the requests of the peasant sector.
