Mexican groups win court battle to protect water supply
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In Mexico’s Comarca Lagunera region, citizen organizations successfully defended a court ruling protecting the local aquifer from overexploitation.
For years, groups like Prodefensa del Nazas, Encuentro Ciudadano Lagunero, and Desarrollo Cardenista para el Campo Lagunero have fought to safeguard the region’s water supply. In 2019, they filed a legal challenge against the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Water Commission (Conagua) over actions that endangered the aquifer and the public’s right to water.
In 2023, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) ruled in their favor, ordering Conagua, the Secretariat, and the North Central Basins agency to stop issuing new well concessions and to develop plans to restore the aquifer’s water levels. However, 29 underground water concessionaries, mainly dairy farmers, tried to overturn the ruling. After protests from the organizations, a court rejected their appeal.
The case escalated when the Legal Counsel to the President’s Office asked the SCJN to modify the sentence, arguing it restricted Conagua’s ability to manage water rights. The organizations appealed to the president of the SCJN and the presiding minister, Lenia Batres Guaderrama, and successfully convinced the court to uphold the original ruling. This victory protects water access for over a million residents and sets a precedent for using legal channels to defend shared resources.
