President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that next Monday, September 29, a proposal will be sent to Congress to reform the National Water Law and issue a General Water Law, with the purpose of ensuring that this resource is no longer treated as a commodity and is regulated directly by the State.
“It is about putting order and stopping the view of water as a commodity, when it is a scarce resource in most of the country. It must truly be the State that regulates concessions and ensures that there are no transfers between private parties. That is perhaps the most important change, along with sanctions for those who steal water or fail to report changes in the use of their concessions,” the president emphasized during the morning press conference.
The initiative seeks to specify the responsibilities of the federation, states, municipalities, and concession holders, while canceling the transfer of concessions between private parties, reaffirming that the governance of water belongs to the State, as established in the Constitution.
Efraín Morales López, Director General of the National Water Commission (Conagua), explained that these reforms are part of the Water Concessions Regulation Program, which includes the review of permits, inspections, the creation of a National Water Registry for Wellbeing (RENAB), the opening of a Single Window, and the publication of the Facilitation Decree to regularize expired permits. He also highlighted the recovery of more than 4.475 billion cubic meters of water—equivalent to four years of Mexico City’s supply—as part of the National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability.
Mauricio Rodríguez Alonso, Deputy Director General of Water Administration, reported that more than 482,000 concession permits have been reviewed, with 58,938 irregularities detected, including misuse of concessions, incorrect coordinates, duplicate permits, and suspected falsification. He specified that so far, the Inspection Program has carried out 3,912 visits and 490 closures or suspensions. He also presented the National Water Complaints Portal (PODAN), available at app.conagua.gob.mx/podan, for reporting irregularities in the use of this resource.
Finally, Rodríguez Alonso highlighted that thanks to the regulation of concessions, revenue increased by 2.938 billion pesos, rising from 19.41 billion pesos in August 2024 to 22.349 billion pesos in August 2025, representing a 15 percent increase. In this context, President Sheinbaum reiterated her call to users with outstanding debts to regularize their payments in order to ensure responsible and transparent water management in Mexico.
