The United States has declined to provide a special supply of water to Mexico for the first time since a 1944 agreement established the basis for resource sharing between the countries.
Mexico has been hit by drought and needed a supply for the city of Tijuanan.
The 1944 agreement specifies reciprocal commitments by the countries to assist each other, but the river systems have come under pressure as a result of climate change and growing population demands. Mexico has failed to keep up with its deliveries in recent years.
The US State Department stated on X: “Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture – particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley.”
The deliveries work according to five-yearly agreements, and the IS has long complained that Mexico’s deliveries tend to decline as the cycle nears its end. The current agreement will end in October 2025.
Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said that the water issue was “being dealt with”, adding that: “There’s been less water. That’s part of the problem.”
Users on both sides of the border have been frustrated with the agreement and its perceived damage to their interests. In addition, large volumes of water delivered to Mexico are lost through unreliable infrastructure.
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