Conagua clamps down on illegal water extraction in Oaxaca

The National Water Commission (Conagua) has intensified inspections in Oaxaca, conducting 329 visits between October 2024 and June 2026. These actions resulted in the closure of 66 illegal wells, the shutdown of five unauthorized water‑use sites on federal lands, and the sealing of four illegal stone‑material banks. Authorities also seized machinery, including excavators and dump trucks, and imposed three suspensions for unlawful wastewater discharges.

Key raids in Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Cuilápam de Guerrero, San Sebastián Tutla and Santa Lucía del Camino halted the commercial extraction and tanker‑truck distribution of groundwater. The operations involved collaboration with the Federal Attorney General's Office, the National Guard, the Mexican Army, federal investigators and Oaxaca state police. Additional joint inspections with the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) secured the confiscation of heavy equipment used in illegal extraction activities.