6. Water Resources Management and Sustainability in Mexico

Mexico faces major challenges in water resources management. The variability in time and space of water resources, the increase in the number of users and the inequality in the consumption, the persistence of inadequate finance systems, the absence of a new water culture, and the lack of information systems and well-trained personnel in the departments and agencies dealing with water management call for the urgent application of the principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM) and frame these within a sustainable development strategy. This chapter presents some strategic guidelines for the transition from a “hydraulic” policy to a more comprehensive water policy in Mexico, mainly derived from the experience that the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has developed through the UNAM’s Water Management, Use and Reuse Program and the fundamentals of the Water Responsibility Program within the International Hydrological Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).