Overview

• The Sheinbaum administration posted a draft General Water Law and related reforms that will be sent to Congress, replacing the 1992 framework with state stewardship of the resource.
• A new chapter on water crimes would prosecute huachicoleo de oficio, with prison terms roughly from 1 to 10 years, 300 to 4,000 days’ fines, and possible asset forfeiture of properties where water is stolen.
• Specific offenses in the draft include up to 12 years for unauthorized transfers or diversion of watercourses, one to nine years for tampering with meters, and up to 12 years for corruption tied to concessions.
• Administrative penalties would rise sharply as the maximum fine increases from 26,000 to 50,000 UMAs (about 5.66 million pesos), with demolition or closure of illegal works, permit revocations, machinery retention, and tripled fines for repeat violators.
• The initiative would bar private transfers of concession titles and changes in water use, create a national reserve fund to reallocate recovered volumes to public urban supply, and introduce “responsabilidad hídrica” to reward compliant users.