Mexico starts US$100mn aqueduct to double supply in Colima
Mexico has begun construction of the Agua para Colima aqueduct, a 21km project with an investment of 1.78 billion (bn) pesos (US$97mn) that will double the water supply for 240,000 residents of Colima and Villa de Álvarez.
The project is part of the 17 strategic water developments that the administration plans to execute by 2030 with an estimated investment of 122.6bn pesos (US$6bn). In September, the authorities reported that this year eight of them were being built with resources of 15bn pesos.
The director general of the National Water Commission (Conagua), Efraín Morales, explained that the aqueduct will guarantee the provision of drinking water for Colima during the coming decades. “This aqueduct is going to provide practically double the supply to the city of Colima. It is an aqueduct that is prepared to solve both the water supply, in terms of quantity and in terms of quality,” he stated, specifying that the infrastructure is planned to cover demand for the next 30 years. He added that the project involves an investment “of around 1.78bn.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum framed the start of construction within the governmental vision of guaranteeing water as a right. “We are carrying out a great many projects in the country: today the one in Colima was presented, which has already begun, but in addition, I repeat: water for everyone as a human right, as a national asset and for the development of the country.” She emphasized that the aqueduct is added to the strategic projects aimed at strengthening equitable access to water resources.
During a live link in the morning conference, the governor of Colima, Indira Vizcaíno, described the initiative as decisive for the state capital and its metropolitan area, where population growth had put pressure on existing sources. “The growth of our metropolitan area had made it essential, for several years now, to have new sources of supply that would guarantee access to water, that would also guarantee the pressure required and the quantities necessary to be able to adequately supply this area,” she pointed out.
Vizcaíno emphasized that the authorization of the project demonstrates federal support for states with smaller populations. “With this work that has been authorized through the government that you lead, President, a clear example is given of the sensitivity, the empathy, the love that you have for the people of Colima.” He added that the “unprecedented” investment will make it possible to ensure the regional supply for at least three decades.
The project includes a water treatment plant of 800l/s, two storage tanks of 15,000m³ each, a regime change tank and an intake structure. According to the federal government, these facilities will form a modern and resilient system that will increase distribution capacity and improve the pressure and continuity of the service.
The aqueduct also seeks to address the historical deficit in the water supply in the metropolitan area of Colima, whose supply depended mainly on the aqueduct coming from the indigenous community of Zacualpan. Vizcaíno recalled that, despite urban growth, “the supply in this metropolitan area” was maintained for decades without new sources of supply.
Agua para Colima is positioned as one of the state’s most relevant water investments due to its scale and its impact on local water security, with the goal of guaranteeing the right to water in sufficient quantity and quality for at least three decades.
