Overview

• President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will submit a reform to the Ley de Aguas Nacionales and a new Ley General de Aguas to Congress on Monday, Sept. 29.
• Proposals would prohibit transfers of concessions between private parties, require unused titles to be returned to the State, and strengthen Conagua’s authority over allocations.
• The package creates a chapter on water crimes with stiffer sanctions, including proposed fines up to 50,000 UMAs and potential asset forfeiture for repeat offenders.
• Conagua reports 482,014 titles reviewed with 58,938 inconsistencies found, including falsified or duplicated permits, erroneous coordinates such as entries pointing to Thailand, and agricultural titles used for golf courses, industry and water sales by tanker.
• Enforcement and modernization efforts include 3,912 verification visits, 490 closures, recovery of 4,475 million m³ of water, a 15% revenue increase, a new national water registry, a digital one‑stop portal expanding through October, and full digitalization targeted for January 2026.