San Miguel's Water Crisis

Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 11:00am
Cesar Arias & Atahualpa Caldera Sosa

Desertification and declining access to potable water are central features of global warming and the worldwide environmental crisis. By 2030, a 40% global shortfall in a stable supply of good-quality fresh water is expected. As of 2008, 70% of the world’s water was used for agricultural needs. With industrial agricultural comes heavy pesticide and chemical use. These chemicals flow into the river systems and alter ecosystems. An additional dilemma is the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply. In 2008, the U.N. estimated that it would require funds of $30 billion a year to provide clean, accessible, drinking water to the entire planet while in the previous year, the world spent $90 billion on bottled water

Here in the state of Guanajuato, surface water is being depleted from overuse and deep groundwater is being pumped to the surface. This deep groundwater is more than 10,000 years old and has been in contact with subsurface volcanic rock which has increased its concentration of fluoride, arsenic and sodium to unacceptable levels. This water is already being consumed in several communities of San Miguel, Dolores Hidalgo and San Diego de la Union. Its use is spreading and is seriously affecting the health of the population.

Cesar Arias of the Charco del Ingenio and Atahualpa Caldera Sosa of GAIA, Grupo de Acción Interdisciplinaria Ambiental discuss this situation and the struggles to find solutions.

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 20, 2025 - 1:30pm
CST
Bruce Hobson & Meizhu Lui
Location:
La Biblioteca, Teatro Santa Ana, Insurgentes 25, Centro, San Miguel de Allende

Co-founders of the Mexico Solidarity Project, Bruce Hobson and Meizhu Lui will speak on why North American progressives should understand why Mexico is critical to advancing a vision of socialism and multiracial democracy in the United States.

 

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 12:00pm
CST
Organized by The Reentry Resource Program

You are invited to join a discussion with filmmaker Santiago Esteinou and Cesar Fierro about the new documentaryThe Freedom of Fierro.

César Fierro has just become a free man, and he needs to rebuild his life after being wrongly sentenced to death in Texas. César spent 40 years in prison before being released... Read more

Monday, November 3, 2025 - 1:30pm
CST
Joe Belden
Location:
La Biblioteca, Sala Quezal, Insurgentes 25, Centro, San Miguel de Allende
This mostly forgotten war led to Mexico losing over half its territory and the United States expanding to the Pacific. The lecture examines the political and economic background of the conflict, what led to it, and the roles of such factors as Texas annexation in 1845, slavery, racism, the Democratic and Whig parties, and Manifest... Read more