Overview

• The Executive submitted a new General Water Law and reforms to the National Water Law to reassert water as a national resource under exclusive state regulation.
• Transfers and sales of concessions between private parties would be prohibited, with a National Water Registry created to control titles and trace every prórroga.
• Conagua would condition renewals on technical and fiscal compliance, require metering, and eliminate unauthorized changes in use to tighten oversight of allocations.
• A chapter on water crimes would impose prison terms of 1 to 10 years and fines to curb illegal extraction and the black market, with some proposals noting asset forfeiture.
• Advisory and business groups voiced support and urged clear rules and tougher sanctions, academic networks pressed for a full replacement of the 1992 law, and experts warned current budgets near 36–37 billion pesos fall far short of implementation needs.