Urgent Call for National Water Access Law

Carolina Depetris, director of the Peninsula Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (CEPHCIS) at UNAM, has called for a national law to guarantee access to water as a basic human right. This call was made during the inaugural World Water Day Conference held in Mérida, Yucatán.

The ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus believed that everything is water, and it is indeed a crucial resource for all life. This was a key point made by Depetris during the conference. The event was organized by CEPHCIS in collaboration with various organizations and groups from Yucatán, including the Citizen Council for Water of Yucatán, the Independent Water Auditor of Yucatán, and the Academic Body for Sustainable Regional Development from the Mérida Technological Institute.

The conference aimed to spread both scientific and community knowledge about the water situation in the Yucatán peninsula. It also highlighted the need to understand the water-related challenges faced by different Maya communities, including issues of pollution, scarcity, and wastewater treatment.

Depetris emphasized that for those working in the humanities and social sciences, spreading awareness about the importance of water conservation has always been a challenge.

Rodrigo Llanes Salazar, a researcher at CEPHCIS, noted that the United Nations' campaign for World Water Day focuses on glacier conservation. While this may seem irrelevant to the Yucatán Peninsula, he explained that glaciers play a crucial role in the global geopolitical landscape.

In Greenland, for example, the melting of over 28,000 square kilometers of ice sheets and glaciers over the last three decades could potentially facilitate the extraction of oil and minerals crucial for renewable energy technologies. The melting also opens up new sea trade routes, posing a threat to the Panama Canal.

Salazar also highlighted that the first three months of 2025 have been significant for Mexico, with discussions on the National Development Plan, the National Water Plan, and the Constitutional Reform on the Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples. The federal government has stated that the human right to water is a priority and will be legally recognized in the framework of national water agreements and water resource sustainability.

Andrea Nicté Canul Colli, a member of the Independent Water Auditor of Yucatán collective, emphasized the importance of discussing access to water and its contamination. She believes that these discussions are necessary for societal improvement and for the ongoing fight for water rights. Her collective is committed to listening to the communities and understanding their needs and concerns.