ABSTRACT
Mexico's underlying institutional approach for water management was set in the 1950s, when its first modern water policies, planning approaches, and regulatory institutions were put in place. The National Water Commission (CONAGUA) was created in 1989 as the apex government institution for water resources management, becoming in 1994 a government body under the Secretary of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Fisheries. Groundwater has allowed Mexico City, with a population of 9 million inhabitants, and also its greater metropolitan area, with a population of 29 million inhabitants, to satisfy unceasing demands for water resources. Between 1995 and 1998, CONAGUA launched its first administrative-territorial organization of the water polity by creating 13 new Hydrological Administrative Regions managed by River Basin Organisms. The Mexican water polity is ill-prepared to adequately face climate change, but some adaptation efforts are under way. Mexico is extremely exposed to the impacts of climate change, and this exposure is increasing fast.
