Water Shortage: Mexico and the United States
In recent years, Mexico and the United States have clashed over watershortages on either side of the Rio Grande River in South Texas. Mexico'sfailure to abide by a 1944 water treaty since 1992 has severely damagedU.S. agriculture. While Mexico seems largely unrepentant and unwilling torelease water to the U.S., U.S. officials have been accused of ignoring theissue in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).While steps are being made to address the issue, including waterconservation and the release of some water owed to the U.S., much remainsto be done to solve the shortage. Changes to international law involvingthe use of shared water resources may provide some long-term relief whilethe creation of more water conservation measures will likely help alleviate For Mexican farmers in Chihuahua State, water from the Rio Grande isnecessary to maintain and grow an agricultural business that has expandedconsiderably in the past several decades. At one time, land in ChihuahuaState was arid and desert-like, but the building of joint border reservoirsbrought the potential for irrigation. In response, families and
created a farming industry in the region thatis highly dependent on water from these reservoirs on the Rio Grande(Hawkes; Mexico-U. Watershortages that result from "inefficient subsidies and protections ofagriculture" (Vergano) play an important role in water shortfalls in thedeveloped world. At the heart of the matter is the failure of the Mexican governmentto uphold a 1944 water treaty. This solution isviable on both economic and environmental grounds, as water conservationefforts will ultimately reduce the cost of water for agriculture, andconservation will also help to preserve an important environmentalresource, the Rio Grande. As such, international laws should be developed thatallow for international sanctions against nations that violate watertreaties. government has been accused of dragging its feet on the issue,Mexico has remained largely defiant of its action. However, Hawkes notes that the U.
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