From this year, local authorities in Mexico will have to charge their residents a monthly fee for drinking water services. According to Rocío Rebollo Mendoza, president of the Finance and Public Credit Commission of the State Congress, in three states this will not be applied due to the conditions in their region.
She explained that the Legislative Branch has asked the municipalities to establish a minimum charge of between 10 and 20 pesos per month, with the aim of beginning to raise awareness among citizens by reminding them that water is a resource that they should value, since in recent years the effects of drought have been demonstrated in communities that are already experiencing significant shortages.
Rebollo Mendoza explained that the municipalities that are exempt from this charge (without naming them), justified their decision because of the local conditions:
“We have to understand the situation of each municipality, fortunately we are deputies who know each of the peculiarities of each one.”
Nevertheless, everyone has been urged to make this collection official and they trust that it will be done because it is for the benefit of the citizens, because it will guarantee a timely and quality service, since the intention is that the money collected will be used for actions to improve the water systems.
At the moment, only about 15 municipalities charge this fee, i.e. only those with a large population, so it is hoped that this measure will encourage more and more municipalities to make their residents pay for drinking water in order to improve public infrastructure.
“It was an agreement of the entire Fiscal Commission to include the water tax in the fiscal laws,” said Rebollo Mendoza, who, before the first meeting of the Permanent Commission, referred to the approval of a loan of 960 million pesos for the State Government, which will be invested in federal works and projects. She assured that these funds will not be used for current expenditure, since the idea is to be able to build the necessary infrastructure for the installation of foreign industry and, with it, the investment that the state needs to take off in industrial matters, as the local deputy acknowledged.
She explained that one of the main objectives is to begin work on the El Tunal II dam, as well as the construction of the Healthy Water for the Lagoon project and other projects being carried out jointly with the federal government. She said:
*That is why the decision of this Congress was to support the State Government in this loan, which has no negative impact and does not change the financial traffic light, but represents long-term solutions to such important issues as water for the city of Durango and the entire Laguna region.”
