From the early hours of Friday, Mexico began to make a partial payment on its water debt to the United States, in accordance with the commitments established in the 1944 Water Treaty. According to local media, the 'La Amistad' dam, located in Acuña, Coahuila, on the border with Texas, increased its water extractions from 33 to 122 cubic meters per second. The measure is part of the federal strategy to meet the agreed-upon deliveries to the neighboring country. Authorities indicated that the increase is being carried out in a controlled manner but recommended exercising extreme caution downstream due to the rise in the river's level and speed, which elevates the risk of incidents for riverside populations and activities. Currently, the reservoir holds around 940 million cubic meters of water, equivalent to 24% of its total capacity, and it is estimated that the daily extraction will reduce its volume by 10.5 million cubic meters. The start of these deliveries comes after pressure from the United States, where President Donald Trump had demanded compliance with this commitment. The Government of Mexico assured in a previous statement that the deliveries are made in strict adherence to the treaty, which establishes five-year cycles to compensate for possible shortfalls due to extraordinary droughts. In the previous cycle (2020-2025), drought conditions prevented the full quota from being delivered, so Mexico has an additional cycle until 2030 to fulfill the debt. Recently, both countries agreed to release a volume of 249 million cubic meters of water, made possible by recent rains, without affecting the water supply for human consumption or for agriculture in the region. The Mexican government also highlighted the implementation of modernization and conservation projects in the irrigation districts of Tamaulipas and Chihuahua to optimize resource management for the benefit of the border population. Mexico and the United States will continue to coordinate water deliveries during this cycle, whose final planning will be defined before January 31, 2026.
