Water for human consumption should be a priority in Hermosillo.
Given the crisis that the state is going through due to drought, lack of rainfall, waste due to obsolete infrastructure and drinking water networks, and the lack of this vital liquid, water for human consumption must be a priority in Hermosillo.
In an interview with DOSSIER POLÍTICO, Ignacio Peinado Luna stressed that water from the city’s wells and from La Costa should be directed to Hermosillo’s homes and treated wastewater to industry, commerce and agriculture.
The leader of the Unión de Usuarios de Hermosillo (UUH) pointed out that ‘the reality is that with the lack of rain there is obviously less water in the reservoirs’.
He pointed out that the aquifers are being depleted because the demand for water is natural, “so it is very important that the authorities of the three levels of government can have a very good coordination to make the relevant decisions to guarantee the human right of access to water services in our homes”.
Peinado Luna explained that “for example, we have proposed, among other things, the replacement of the water distribution system in the city, where practically 50% of the water is lost through leaks, and we need this water in our homes”.
He explained that this vital liquid “is being lost on the streets due to an already very outdated hydraulic system, so it is necessary to replace this old, outdated system with a better infrastructure so that there is a better distribution of water and, of course, not so much water is lost through leaks in the streets”.
Secondly, the issue of micro-meters in homes, “it is very important, the authorities must make an effort to install a free meter in homes where they do not have one, because there is a paradox, there is no water in the city at this time, which is a reality and it is not new, it is historical, but also the high water charges are very punctual, even if you have no guarantee, and a large number of hours without water service is also important”.
Nacho Peinado explained that it is important to be able to treat waste water, “we treat the water that we users use through the waste water treatment plant and we pay 35% of it”.
He added that “we have proposed that the water that is already treated should be protected and used for families”.
He said that one option would be to create an infrastructure to take this treated water to the companies, “the industries in La Manga, Quiroga, the whole sector where these industries are supplied with water from wells, and to be able to give them treated water, and this first use water from the wells of the companies or industries can contribute to the water supply of the city, this is a very important issue”.
Ignacio Peinado Luna said that “the coast of Hermosillo should give us first use water for the city of Hermosillo from the nearest wells”.
He said that all the water that is treated, “a lot of this water is filtering and feeding the aquifer, which is very important, but this aquifer goes to the Hermosillo Coast”.
In this sense, in this reciprocity of giving treated water in exchange for water for primary use, “I think it is very important for human consumption”.
On the subject of dams and the state government’s project, “infrastructure is always important, and well, let’s hope to God that there will be enough rain so that this infrastructure, these dams that are going to be built, will certainly be able to store water for development and, above all, for human consumption in the municipalities and in the city of Hermosillo, which obviously needs additional sources of water supply”.
On the other hand, “it is very important to continue drilling wells, acquiring rights or buying rights from farmers and ejidatarios, in order to contribute to the city in this crisis of water shortage that we are experiencing and have been experiencing for years”.
Finally, Nacho Peinado considered it fundamental that the National Water Commission “also install barriers, because according to Article Four of the National Water Law, human consumption must take precedence over personal and domestic consumption”.
“In other words, there must be a reserve of water from aquifers and wells to be used for the city, and not to grant concessions and titles indiscriminately, and then, at this moment when we need so much water for human consumption, there is a deficit because in the past they have not provided and have not had a reserve for the city of Hermosillo and all the communities that need water services as a human right”, concluded the president of the Union of Users of Hermosillo.
