I'd like to make comparative reflections on water, water politics, and democracy between Southern California and Mexico. Although the premise remains as such similar for the case of Mexican Democracy, the situation and concerns shown for semi-arid Southern California and Baja California border areas look alike. It is clear (even for those not American fellows like me) that MWD has a lot of power and control over the societies' destiny and their regional development (also this power has impacted in many ways the developmental issues in the Mexican side). However, if it can be seen as a democracy that rest on water politics in southern California, then what you can say about our incipient Mexican democracy and, particullarly, the water politics dominated by a still dictatorial system for water control, thus, development of our societies? At least the MWD and the SDCWA have an election members' process that is participative and, in some cases, members are publicly elected. But in Mexico, the Mexican National Water Commission (Conagua) has the entire control to regulate, impose guides, and decide on developmental priorities of most local agencies and societies. Our case in Mexico is worse than it appears in the U.S. side!!! Still many things to do into each side and many things to do together as a very interdependent binational region: Southern California-Northern Baja California.
It semms to me an ovbious and, ultimatelly, suitable "reaction" of water officials in SD under the current conditions and the foreseeable future of water availability in the Southwest. I, as a user living in the Colorado River downstream (Mexicali), think that strong conservation water measures must be implemented, however, not always the things we think or say are possible to put in practice since they represent huge social and economic costs to local societies. After the lining of the All-American Canal which will have enormous impacts in water avalability in the Mexicali area, particullarly in the Mexicali Valley, affecting initially almost 19,000 hectares, the twenty-two water users associations and their irrigation society are looking for funding to implement conservation measures. Nevertheless, the task isn't easy to them who uses eighty-six percent of the total water availability for Mexico coming from the Colorado River watercourse. Agricultural water users are awarned and worried about the climate change issues in the Colorado River basin as well as of the growing demands for water as a result of exponential growing population in border areas. As such, they need help and guidance to get money so that water conservation measures can be achieved in order to reduce local and transboundary water pressures. Since climate change, drought and increasing water demends are critical transboundary issues, binational solutions should be given and, in this sense, binational agencies like BECC/NadBank must support this kind of initiatives. At the end, we all belong to a strongly interdependent region.
67° Fair
Water Politics: Democracy or Labyrinth
I'd like to make comparative reflections on water, water politics, and democracy between Southern California and Mexico. Although the premise remains as such similar for the case of Mexican Democracy, the situation and concerns shown for semi-arid Southern California and Baja California border areas look alike. It is clear (even for those not American fellows like me) that MWD has a lot of power and control over the societies' destiny and their regional development (also this power has impacted in many ways the developmental issues in the Mexican side). However, if it can be seen as a democracy that rest on water politics in southern California, then what you can say about our incipient Mexican democracy and, particullarly, the water politics dominated by a still dictatorial system for water control, thus, development of our societies? At least the MWD and the SDCWA have an election members' process that is participative and, in some cases, members are publicly elected. But in Mexico, the Mexican National Water Commission (Conagua) has the entire control to regulate, impose guides, and decide on developmental priorities of most local agencies and societies. Our case in Mexico is worse than it appears in the U.S. side!!! Still many things to do into each side and many things to do together as a very interdependent binational region: Southern California-Northern Baja California.
June 29, 2009 at 4:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Water Shortages May Not Be Temporary
sorry, I wanted to write "It seems to me an obvious....."
June 3, 2009 at 10:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Water Shortages May Not Be Temporary
It semms to me an ovbious and, ultimatelly, suitable "reaction" of water officials in SD under the current conditions and the foreseeable future of water availability in the Southwest. I, as a user living in the Colorado River downstream (Mexicali), think that strong conservation water measures must be implemented, however, not always the things we think or say are possible to put in practice since they represent huge social and economic costs to local societies. After the lining of the All-American Canal which will have enormous impacts in water avalability in the Mexicali area, particullarly in the Mexicali Valley, affecting initially almost 19,000 hectares, the twenty-two water users associations and their irrigation society are looking for funding to implement conservation measures. Nevertheless, the task isn't easy to them who uses eighty-six percent of the total water availability for Mexico coming from the Colorado River watercourse. Agricultural water users are awarned and worried about the climate change issues in the Colorado River basin as well as of the growing demands for water as a result of exponential growing population in border areas. As such, they need help and guidance to get money so that water conservation measures can be achieved in order to reduce local and transboundary water pressures. Since climate change, drought and increasing water demends are critical transboundary issues, binational solutions should be given and, in this sense, binational agencies like BECC/NadBank must support this kind of initiatives. At the end, we all belong to a strongly interdependent region.
Alfonso Andres Cortez Lara
June 3, 2009 at 10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )