Water management practices in Mexico have changed in recent years mainly as a response to the varying economic, social and environmental conditions of the country. Generally, the management of water resources has traditionally given priority to infrastructural development, with limited considerations of economic instruments and social and environmental factors. The past few decades have witnessed challenges imposed by increasing demands from the different uses and users, as well as growing water quantity and quality concerns. As a result, decision-makers are being forced to consider not only technical solutions when dealing with water planning, management and development, but also have started to consider issues as appropriate institutional frameworks, implementation of demand management practices, protection of natural resources and the environment, participation from the affected sectors and stakeholders, formulation and implementation of legal frameworks, and improving management capacity.
By Cecilia Tortajada and Nancy Contreras-Moreno, Chapter of the book: Water Institutions: Policies, Performance and Prospects, edited by Chennat Gopalakrishnan, Cecilia Tortajada and Asit K. Biswas, 2005, Springer, Berlin, pages 99-130. DOI: 10.1007/3-540-26567-8_5