Tlaloc's revenge
As the Bravo basin's farmers suffer the effects of ongoing drought, the US steps up pressure on Mexico to pay its debts in water. Veronica Balderas Iglesias investigates
In Aztec mythology Tlaloc was the god of rain and fertility. Ancient Mexicans would beseech him to water their fields to cultivate chili, beans and corn -- products which are still staple components of Mexico's diet. Now, people living along the Rio Bravo basin are again praying for a solution to the water shortage that the region suffers from, albeit for more complex reasons than those afflicting their Aztec ancestors. While the people of the Bravo basin may not be aware of all the ins and outs of US-Mexican diplomacy, they fully understand that in an area that receives an average precipitation of eight inches per annum, the water from both the Bravo (known in the United States as the "Rio Grande") and the Colorado rivers is vital for growing their crops.
The ongoing water shortage became more critical when Mexican President Vicente Fox's government started to make the minimum yearly payment of water to the US, in compliance with the Treaty for the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande. Signed on 3 February 1994 the treaty stipulates that Mexico has to release 2,158 million cubic metres of water from the Rio Bravo's three main tributaries to the US in a five-year cycle. A source at Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Al-Ahram Weekly that the prolonged drought has prevented Mexico from meeting some of the deadlines. "Cycle Number 26 (1997-2002) was completed with a debt of 1,660 million cubic metres, which, in accordance to the treaty, shall be repaid by the end of the following cycle in 2007," the source said.
Some US officials say that the source of the problem is not the drought, but that Mexico is stockpiling water in order to build up its own agricultural export industry. To dismiss the claim, officials of the Mexican National Water Commission (NWC) met with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs on 9 February, following her complaint that the water shortage has cost farmers in her state nearly $1 billion in crop losses since 1992. "We presented her with figures that show that throughout the agricultural year (October 2003-September 2004) Mexican farmers in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, will only receive 53 per cent of the water," Coordinator of Advisors to the General Management of the NWC Jose Antonio Rodriguez Tirado told the Weekly. A spokesman for Mexico's Foreign Ministry added that many farmers have even been forced to suspend their agricultural activities altogether. "That was the case in 2001 with farmers living in the country's largest district Number 025, located in the state of Tamaulipas," he said.
On the other hand, rumours that a power struggle between the Governor of Chihuahua Patricio Martinez and President Fox has prevented the latter from sending more water to the US were also dismissed. "The distribution depends on the amount of water available in the dams," Rodriguez of the NWC. "Since 1993, the water level has been falling. Even the ruins of ancient cities like Ciudad Guerrero, built beneath the Falcon Reservoir, have been unearthed," Rodriguez said. Figures compiled by the Foreign Ministry show how, despite last year's heavy rain, the current level of the national reservoirs at the Rio Bravo basin is at 1,730 million cubic metres (only 33 per cent of their total capacity). The volume of water in the international reservoirs La Amistad and Falcon totals 976 million cubic metres (only 30 per cent of their capacity).
In an attempt to resolve the problems caused by drought and to simultaneously try and fulfill its international commitments, Mexico has decided that the Rio Bravo basin must be managed in a comprehensive manner. A programme aimed at modernising the region's irrigation system has been in place since 2002. "So far 654 million Mexican pesos have been invested in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas," said Rodriguez, noting that the authorities are working to guarantee that drinkable water is made available to the 1,600,000 people that depend on the Bravo's flow.
Nonetheless, "there are no plans to modify the 1944 Water Treaty," Rodriguez told the Weekly, emphasising that the key to facing the current challenges lies in coordinating US and Mexican state efforts. Representatives of the two countries in the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) jointly oversee the application of the bilateral rights and obligations under numerous boundary and water treaties. "For instance, in October 2002, the IBWC approved a programme to revamp the irrigation system in the Rio Conchos Valley, at a cost of $80 million," a source at the Mexican Foreign Ministry said.
Last May, US Secretary of Interior Gale Norton introduced a proposal called "Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflicts in the West", which calls for concentrating existing federal financial and technical resources while tackling the drought problem. Moreover, according to Rodriguez, during Susan Comb's recent visit, the US and Mexico agreed to hold regular meetings to ensure the sustainable use of the disputed resource.
Still, despite warnings that the crisis over water is potentially as divisive an issue as immigration, there have been no new visits to Mexico scheduled by US officials. Nor have the Mexican authorities detailed new initiatives to enhance cooperation between the two states. Meanwhile on both sides of the border, farmers can do little but watch as the drought devours their hopes of a better life. One thing is certain: their crops are dying. Diplomatic struggles to seize control of the precious resource press on while Tlaloc fails to heed the call of Mexico's farmers.
