ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Due to severe socioeconomic and environmental drought impacts in Mexico, President Peña Nieto in 2013 established a six-year Program to Prevent and Mitigate Droughts. This paper summarizes research undertaken for the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) as part of this Program in an arid to semi-arid basin in north-western Mexico. The research objective was to formulate an Integrated Water Resources Management Strategy (IWRMS) to ensure water availability, developed through interactive stakeholder processes, watershed parameters analysis, establishment of long term targets, strategic options development, scenarios assessment and policy recommendations. The research identified adequate water resources but drought impacts were exacerbated by a lack of water storage and very high demand. Recommendations included prevention and mitigation strategies, including Low Impact Design, and identification of resource requirements. Major benefits could be achieved by empowering the River Basin Committees to implement the IWRMS and optimizing water use efficiency, supported by ongoing research and education.
