Thirst for Reform? Private Sector Participation in Providing Mexico City's Water Supply

Haggarty, Luke ; Brook, Penelope ; Zuluaga, Ana Maria

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: BULK SUPPLY;    BULK WATER;    COLLECTION EFFICIENCY;    CONSERVATION;    CONSERVE WATER;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2654
RP-ID  :  WPS2654

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The case in Mexico City offered anopportunity to observe the advantages, and disadvantages ofgradualist reform. Unfortunately, the authors find that thelong-term nature of an incremental approach does not matchwell with the generally shorter-term horizons of electedpoliticians. Difficult decisions in implementation are leftto later years, which pushes potentially unpopular actionsonto the shoulders of future administrations, while allowingthe current government to claim credit for institutingreform. The reform planned - and implemented - was notdesigned to tackle the city's most serious waterproblems, including over-consumption, and waste. And reformdid little to change residential consumers' incentivesto conserve water. Over-exploitation of the aquifer has beena problem since at least the 1930s. Mexico City is built ona series of drained lakebeds, and the land is soft, andprone to settling, or subsiding, as the aquifer is depleted.Several areas of the city center have sunk by over twometers in the past decade alone. And by virtue of itslocation, and elevation, the city's alternative watersources are expensive. The need for change is stark, but thepower to undertake reform to tackle broad problems ofresource management in the city, and surrounding areas, liesoutside the jurisdiction of the Federal District, with thefederal government. Such external funding of major supplyprojects, weakens the incentives for conservation. Reformreduced the increasing rate of over-exploitation of theaquifer, but partly by simply failing to meet demand. Reformto provide more equitable, and sustainable water delivery,must focus on improving the efficiency of operations, onsubstantially reforming the way water resources are priced,and allocated, and, on the design, management, and pricingof wastewater services. Federal subsidies for new productionmust be reduced, prices for system operators, and consumersmust rise, and more must be invested in the treatment, andstorage of wastewater - all of which requires strongpolitical leadership.