Water scarcity: 1 in 7 Mexican households do not meet basic needs. National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) shows the gaps in household access to and use of water at the sub-national level.
16.1% of Mexican households experience moderate or severe water insecurity; more than one in seven Mexican households does not meet basic water needs such as cooking, drinking or washing, according to the Research Institute for Development with Equity (EQUIDE) of the Universidad Iberoamericana, in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health, Northwestern University and McGill University, analysing the results of the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT), in contrast to the traditional indicator used to measure access to water, which states that “only 3% of the population does not have piped water in their home or on their land”.
For the first time, ENSANUT shows the gaps in household access and use of water at the subnational level: the states with the highest percentage of households with water insecurity are Guerrero (30.6%), Baja California Sur (29%), State of Mexico (23.3%), Hidalgo (23.3%) and Aguascalientes (23.1%).
The states with the lowest percentage of water insecure households are Yucatan (3.9%), Chihuahua (7.3%), Guanajuato (8.1%), Colima (8.3%) and Coahuila (9.4%), and Mexico City (16.9%). More detailed research is needed to know the differences at the municipal or mayoral level, a UIA communiqué points out.
The National Water Plan 2024/2030, presented last December, aims to “guarantee the right to water in sufficient quantity and quality, ensure the sustainability of our resources and promote the proper and responsible management of water in all its uses”, it said.
Measuring household water insecurity is an appropriate measure to assess the success of the goal of “ensuring the human right to sufficient quantity and quality of water”. The UIA bulletin concludes that the success of the strategy will mean a reduction in the prevalence of moderate or severe household water insecurity from 16.1% by 2030.
