Mexico and the United States are reaching an agreement on water deliveries; Texas farmers to see immediate relief
Mexican and American governments announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement under which Mexico will immediately deliver water in the United States – to which it owes a huge amount of water under the terms of a bilateral treaty of 1944 – and temporarily gives its northern neighbor a larger share of water in six tributaries of Rio Grande.
For the moment, at least, the agreement has appeased the American government, which has put pressure on the Mexican government to send more water to the United States, President Donald Trump even threatening to impose prices or other sanctions “until Mexico honors the treaty”.
The 1944 Treaty Stipulates that Mexico must send 2.158 billion cubic meters (1.75 million acres) of water in the United States of Rio Grande every five years. In turn, the United States must transfer 1.85 billion cubic meters (1.5 million acres) of water from the Colorado river in Mexico each year.
Four and a half years in the current five -year cycle, Mexico has only delivered 30% of the water It is necessary to send Rio Grande to its neighbor in the North.
The generalized drought in Mexico, which was particularly serious in the north of the country, had a major impact on the ability of Mexico to comply with the Water Treaty in 1944.
However, President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was determined to comply with her obligations and would do it “little by little”.
In a joint statement On Monday, the Ministries of Mexico for Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and the Environment said that Mexican and American governments had entered into an agreement “so that the good of the two nations is responsible for the question of Rio Grande water allowances in the current water delivery cycle”, which concluded on October 24.
“With the solid desire to continue the realization of its commitments under the 1944 Treaty, which was very advantageous for the development of the northern border of the country, Mexico agreed with the United States to carry out a series of measures with the aim of mitigating the potential deficit in Mexico water deliveries,” said ministries.
They declared that the agreement provides for “immediate water transfers” from Mexico to the United States as well as additional deliveries “during the next rainy season”, ” which usually starts at the end of May.
Water is transferred from Mexico to the United States via a binational network of dams and tanks.
Although it intends to increase water deliveries to the United States to comply with its treatments as a treaty, the Mexican government stressed that a “fundamental premise” of the “actions” it will make is to “guarantee the supply (of water) for human consumption” for the communities of Mexico which depend on the Rio Grande.
It remains to be seen if he can satisfy the United States without provoking major dissatisfaction in Mexico, where drought persists, the water reserves are low and Farmers have already protested against water transfers provided for in the United States from specific tanks.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US State Department have also published declarations on the new water agreement.
The USDA said that the Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins had obtained “the agreement of the Mexican government to meet the current water needs of farmers and breeders in Texas”.
“… The Mexican government is committed to transferring the water from international tanks and increasing the share of the United States in six flocks from Rio Grande to Mexico until the end of the water cycle in five years”, ” The USDA said.
Rollins said that “Mexico finally responding to the water needs of Texas farmers and breeders under the 1944 water Treaty is a major victory for American agriculture.”
“After weeks of negotiations with officials of the Mexican cabinet alongside the assistant secretary of state Christopher Landau, we obtained an agreement to give Texas producers the water they need to prosper. Although it is an important step forward, we welcome the continuous cooperation of Mexico to support the future of American agriculture,” she said.
“None of this would have been possible without the fervent support of our farmers by President Trump and his work to keep our business partners responsible,” added Rollins.
In an April 10 Publish on social networksTrump said he “would make sure that Mexico does not violate our treaties and do not injure our farmers from Texas”.
“Last month, I interrupted water expeditions to Tijuana Until Mexico complies with the 1944 water Treaty. My agricultural secretary, Brooke Rollins, defends Texas farmers, and we will continue to increase the consequences, including prices and, perhaps even the sanctions, until Mexico honors the treaty and gives Texas the water that is due! “He wrote.
The USDA said that the new American water pact “has solidified an immediate and short -term water relief plan to meet the needs of Texas farmers and breeders for this growth season.”
“It includes the water versions and continuous commitments until the end of this cycle which ends in October. The United States is hosting more in-depth collaboration with Mexico on its treaty agreements with exceptional water debts in mind, in particular additional monthly transfers and regular consultations on future water deliveries, “he said.
The USDA also said that “the persistent gaps of Mexico in deliveries have led to serious water shortages for farmers and breeders of Rio Grande Valley, devastating cultures, job costs and the threat of the local economy.”
In a separate statementA spokesperson for the United States Department of State said that the United States and Mexico “also undertook to develop a long-term plan to respond reliably to the requirements of the treaties while meeting water debts.”
“… The United States thanks President Sheinbaum for his personal involvement in the facilitation of cooperation on several levels of his government in order to establish a unified path to combat this continuous priority,” said department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
The Mexican government said that the Mexican division of the bilateral border and borders on bilateral borders will monitor “the execution” of the “actions” that Mexico performs with regard to its commitments under the 1944 water Treaty.
He also declared that Mexico and the United States had agreed that the treaty “offers advantages to both countries, and therefore its renegotiation is not considered necessary”.
The water agreement by the two countries came at a time when Mexico continues to engage in talks with the United States on the prices that Trump has imposed On Mexican steel, aluminum and cars as well as other goods not covered by the USMCA free trade pact.
In March, The American president briefly imposed 25% tariffs on Mexico imports and most imports from Canada Because of what the White House said that not adequately stem the flow of “deadly drugs” like fentanyl in the United States
It continues to be a range of tensions in the bilateral relationship, including those related to tomatoes And Case of screws in MexicoBut the potential of a water conflict seems to have decreased considerably thanks to the agreement announced on Monday.
By the editor -in -chief of Mexico News Daily Peter Davies ((Protected by e-mail)))
