President Andrés Manuel López Obrador this month called compliance with treaty-mandated water deliveries to the U.S. a matter of national security. (Photo Leona Vicario)
Political tension in the Mexican state of Chihuahua escalated sharply this month, as farmers protested treaty-mandated water deliveries to the United States by storming and later vandalizing La Boquilla Dam. One protestor, Jessica Silva, was later killed in as-yet unclarified circumstances involving the Mexican National Guard, whose troops had been stationed at the dam but were violently expelled by the protestors. The clash came amid ongoing criticism of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for his compliance with a 1944 treaty requiring Mexico to transfer pre-arranged quantities of water to the United States by releasing it into the Rio Grande River. But growers, supported by politicians from the National Action and Institutional Revolutionary opposition parties, claim the current transfer obligation—1.75 million acre-feet by Oct. 24—threatens their ability to irrigate their crops. Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) insists it has enough water in reservoirs along the... [Log in to read more]
