Chihuahua mayors propose extracting water from Naica mine

Mayors from Delicias and Saucillo, Jesús Valenciano García and Rodolfo Gardea Palma, are petitioning federal authorities and Conagua to extract water from the Naica mine to mitigate a severe agricultural crisis in Chihuahua. Due to a lack of rainfall, local dams are at low capacity, threatening the upcoming agricultural cycle and livestock production.

The proposed emergency project involves channeling water via a 30-kilometer gravity-fed conduit from the Naica mine to the Las Vírgenes dam. Officials claim the volume of water stored underground in the mine is roughly equivalent to the entire capacity of the La Boquilla dam.

Local leaders expressed concern that the current water shortage has already limited irrigation to only four out of every ten hectares. Without intervention, the lack of water could impact the regional economy, specifically affecting the production of 1.2 million liters of milk daily, as livestock feed production is tied to the agricultural sector.