LIR México - Mexico's National Water Program 2026-2030: key objectives and scope

Our partner Brenda Rogel Salgado and associate Carolina Villaseñor Badager analyze in this article published by The Legal Industry Reviews Mexico the objectives and scope of the National Water Program 2026-2030 ("PNH" for its Spanish acronym), published on May 18 in the Federal Official Gazette (DOF).

The PNH starts from a diagnosis that includes aquifer overexploitation, mounting pressure on water resources, unequal access to drinking water, pollution of water bodies, and heightened vulnerability to climate change. Building on that diagnosis, it sets out five strategic objectives, 20 strategies, and 75 lines of action that will guide the federal government's water policy over the coming years.

The article examines the program's five strategic objectives, including:

• Strengthening water governance, through the replacement of the Public Water Rights Registry (REPDA) with the new National Public Water Registry (REPNA) and the recovery of unused concession volumes.
• Guaranteeing the human right to water and sanitation, with strategic infrastructure projects in rural, indigenous, and historically underserved communities.
• Driving efficient and sustainable water use in the agricultural sector, which accounts for three-quarters of water granted for consumptive use, through the modernization of irrigation districts.
• Promoting integrated management of watersheds and aquifers, with restoration, monitoring, and treatment actions for surface and groundwater bodies.
• Reducing vulnerability to climate change, through protective infrastructure and a strengthened National Meteorological Service.

Among the concrete targets for 2030, the PNH contemplates recovering 3 billion cubic meters of national waters, completing more than 242,000 concession-related procedures, and modernizing 200,000 hectares across priority irrigation districts.

We invite you to read the full article to learn more on this topic.(pages 76-77). 

For any questions, please contact our experts in Environmental, Social and Governance (see details below).