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This research paper sets out to identify if household water inequality consumption in Mexico City is expressed itself in a spatial distribution pattern. The methodology is based on spatial data analysis performed on Geoda software. Data were obtained from the city’s water operating agency for 2019. The results reveal that exist a household water consumption’ spatial pattern: households located in the central-western area register a high consumption of water, while those in peripheral areas of the southern and southeastern register a lower consumption. This pattern confirms that water consumption increases as households move from the poorest periphery to the central area of the city. These findings suggest the urgency of the city’s public water utility to adopt strategies to reduce discrimination in the poorest areas. Thus, this research contributes to closing the information gaps on inequality water consumption in cities in developing countries.

The manufacturing industry in Mexico is concentrated in the central and northern region of the country, which is characterized by high water stress. This condition foreshadows a complicated future ...

This article identifies the technological characteristics of the paper manufacturing industry in the Valley of Mexican Basin (VMB)—a densely populated region characterized by absolute water scarcity—in order to quantify the intensity with which water is used. The method consisted of modeling the paper industry’s technology estimating Cobb-Douglas production functions at two moments in time. The comparison of both functions makes it possible to identify water saving technologies during this period, and to evaluate whether the industry has made adjustments to deal with water restrictions. The data is obtained from the Economic Censuses of the National Institute of Statistics Geography and Informatics 2009 and 2014. While our work must be considered preliminary owing to the somewhat irregular nature of the data, certain clear conclusions do stand out. The paper industry located in the VMB has drastically reduced its water usage during the period of time analyzed. This is explained by the adoption of water saving technologies in the industry. In the process, an increase in capital is the main variable to explain such a technical change. This is expressed in the manner in which water and capital inputs appear to be highly suitable substitutes in paper manufacturing.

"En el presente estudio se realiza un análisis de incidencia del subsidio al agua domiciliaria para los hogares de la Ciudad de México. Para ello se identifican los beneficiarios de las transferencias con la encuesta Hábitos de Consumo, Servicio y Calidad del Agua por Hogar en la Ciudad de México 2011, apoyada en el Censo de Población y Vivienda 2010 y la Encuesta Nacional de Ingresos y Gastos de los Hogares 2010, 2012, 2014. Por medio de un análisis de incidencia de subsidios, y el cálculo tanto del indicador del desempeño de términos de focalización y el coeficiente de concentración, los resultados indican que el subsidio no se concentra en los sectores más pobres. Considerados conjuntamente, 20 por ciento de los hogares con mayores ingresos económicos recibe alrededor de 45 por ciento del subsidio, mientras que 20 por ciento de los hogares con menores ingresos económicos concentran poco menos de 12 por ciento de los mismos (subsidio regresivo), lo que pone en evidencia la inequidad en su distribución y la dificultad de focalizarlos hacia los hogares que más los necesitan. Estos resultados dejan clara la necesidad de revisar esta política de subsidios, no sólo a nivel local, con el desafío que implica que en el proceso no se afecte a los sectores más vulnerables y por ende llegar a mejorar el bienestar de toda la sociedad."

Water is one of the most important inputs in the production process, especially for the manufacturing sector. However, at the same time, this resource can present shortage problems, mainly due to a lack of knowledge about its value. In most emerging countries, the monetary value of water used in the production process does not necessarily reflect that there is a shortage, or the costs of catchment and treatment. Thus, the real cost of water is not paid. In addition, it is vital that the various manufacturing industries consider the opportunity cost, or shadow price, of consuming water for its production processes. Therefore, this paper estimates the economic value of water (EVW) for the manufacturing industry in a water basin with shortage problems (Valley of Mexico Basin (VMB), Mexico). This is understood as the shadow price, using the concept of production elasticity with respect to water input (eW) and the value of the marginal product (ρW). To that end, we used information from 69,984 economic units surveyed in 2013, and considered one type of production function, i.e., translog. The eW was estimated at 0.061 and the ρW at US $ 19.4/m3. The ρW ranged from US $ 2.3/m3 for the wood sector to US $ 20.1/m3 for the beverage and tobacco sector, demonstrating variation in ρW by sector. The results have important implications for several areas of industrial water management, especially for water basins where this resource presents shortage problems. Any investment in new industrial water supply projects requires information on the industrial EVW. That information is also needed in order to determine how to efficiently distribute scarce water resources across sectors.

Currently, one of Mexico’s most severe environmental problems is the high levels of pollution of many of its rivers. The present article focuses on the relationship between total coliform bacteria levels and the increase of human digestive tract diseases in the highly polluted Atoyac River in the central Mexican states of Puebla and Tlaxcala. Pollution has become a potential health hazard for people living in nearby river communities. Based on data collected from six of the most contaminated riverside municipalities, two environmental models were developed taking into consideration the health of the entire population, not simply that of its individual members. Such models estimate a health-disease function that confirm the link between Atoyac River pollution and the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases. The causal relation between pollution and gastrointestinal disease incentivizes the creation of epidemiological and public health programs aimed at reducing the environmental health impact of the pollution associated with the Atoyac River. The results presented here are the first of their kind of this river and will serve as basis for future research exploring other similarly contaminated riparian communities. As the causes of pollution are directly related to the economic development and population growth of the region, further research should be conducted for prevention of diseases, educational programs, water remediation and conservation programs that will have a positive impact on the quality of life of the population presently at risk.

A 2011 survey of Mexico City’s households revealed that families prefer alternative sources of drinking water instead of relying in the city’s quality supply services. These include the purchase of bottled water, installation of filtration devices, and other means of water purification. The demand for better water quality was tested by estimating the household’s willingness to pay (WTP), using a contingency valuation (CV) experiment through an open-format questionnaire and by estimating a censored econometric (Tobit) model. The econometric study revealed that the WTP for better water quality is influenced by variables related with distrust of the water quality provided by the City and the organoleptic characteristics of the water supply, as well as spending on bottled water or water purification technologies. The average WTP surcharge for better potable water quality is US$3.1 or 4.7% of the bimonthly water bill, which is about 0.22% of the average family income in Mexico City. The percentage of WTP to income is bigger in poor families. This suggests that improving water quality is of greater importance for lower income families. Findings are consistent with previous studies that estimated the WTP for improvements in the services that supply water to households in the city. These include reduction of inefficiency and intermittency of the supply along with water quality, improve measuring water meters, reducing the obsolescence of the infrastructure and increasing adequate maintenance. Our research is the first to estimate the WTP for better water quality in Mexico City and constitutes a reference point for those that address the problem of water quality and its impact on the welfare and income of families.

Economic and population growth in Mexico City (CDMX) is the main cause of an increase in water demand against a naturally limited endowment, which increases the gap between water demand and supply. In a water scarcity environment, households are facing pressure to maintain their involvement in the city&rsquo, s only operating body, the Water System of Mexico City (SACMEX) total supply. The objective of this work is to measure the inequality in the distribution of drinking water and water subsidies between households connected to the public network of CDMX in order to generate objective indicators of the phenomenon. Having such information provides a baseline scenario of the problem and allows for the delineation of a policy covering the minimum levels of well-being in the supply of drinking water that is appropriate for the most important city in the country. The method consists of measuring inequality through continuous variables estimating the Lorenz curve, the Gini coefficient, the targeting coefficient and elasticity in water consumption and in water subsidies among households in CDMX. Data comes from a household survey carried out in 2011, Consumption Habits, Service and Quality of Water by Household in Mexico City (EHCSCA). Results show that drinking water and subsidies present a regressive distribution, benefit high-income households and, to a lesser degree, the poorest households in the city and highlight the urgency and importance for SACMEX to redefine its policy on water distribution, fees and subsidies. The present study&rsquo, s scope can contribute to the monitoring of the distribution of drinking water and of subsidies among household groups. The study justifies that the indicators employed in this work can be used and are recommended as a valuable tool in water management, especially in a dynamic environment.

En la Ciudad de México (CDMX) los hogares adoptan diversas prácticas para obtener agua de calidad bebible, como es a través de la compra de agua embotellada, el tratamiento del agua en el hogar (hervir y clorar), la instalación de filtros en la vivienda, entre otras. El comportamiento revelado mediante sus prácticas y compras indica una demanda latente por agua de mejor calidad, hecho verificado al estimar la disponibilidad a pagar (DAP) de los hogares en la CDMX por mejoras de la calidad del agua suministrada por el servicio público urbano, denominado Sistema de aguas de la Ciudad de México (SACMEX). Se ha encontrado que los hogares en promedio están dispuestos a pagar 34 pesos al bimestre (2.8 dólares/TC 12.3 año 2011) por recibir agua de calidad bebible en la llave de su vivienda, monto que representa 8.7% de su pago bimestral de agua y 0.3% de sus ingresos familiares mensuales. En simultáneo, con la estimación de un modelo econométrico, se evidencia que las variables con mayor incidencia en la DAP de los hogares son: la desconfianza hacia el SACMEX, las propiedades organolépticas del agua y el tipo de medidas preventivas para remediar la baja calidad del agua. La investigación se basa en una encuesta a hogares representativa de la CDMX y la estimación econométrica de un modelo de la DAP. La falta de información sobre las preferencias de los hogares con respecto a posibles mejoras en los servicios de agua es un impedimento importante para el mejoramiento de la oferta pública de los sistemas de abastecimiento de agua potable segura y confiable.

Mexico City – with a population of more than 20 million people – is confronting one of the most serious short-term water resource problems in the world. This is due to an inability to supply water to several of its zones, as well as to a reduction in supply during drought periods. The medium- and long-term problem is severe because supply, which is inelastic, cannot meet a growing demand. The impressive urban growth of Mexico City has encouraged a water policy that has over-exploited groundwater bodies within its boundaries; since the local supply is insufficient, the city now extracts ground and surface water from adjacent basins. These basins include the Lerma and Cutzamala Basins. Currently, the risk is that this complicated and costly system will collapse, with grave environmental, economic, political, and social consequences.