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The United States have reached an agreement with Mexico under which Mexico would send a minimum amount of water annually to the US.
The deal comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Mexico with 5% tariffs on Mexican imports if it did not deliver more water and follows months of negotiations.
Under the new deal, Mexico will send at least 350,000 acre-feet (43,172 hectare-metres) of water to the US each year, during the five-year cycle. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre (0.4 hectare) of land at a depth of one foot (0.3 metres).
Mexico’s commitment to an annual minimum delivery is a change from what was required of it under the 1944 Water Treaty.
Under the existing treaty, Mexico must deliver 1.75 million acre-feet (215,865 hectare-metres) of water to Washington every five years, with the average annual amount representing 350,000.
But the US has complained that Mexico builds up a water debt in the first years of a cycle, that hurts farmers in Texas, before eventually meeting the treaty requirements.
The US in return has given Mexico even more water from other water sources further west along their shared border.
Mexico’s Foreign Affairs, Environmental and Agriculture ministries confirmed the agreement with the US in a statement on Tuesday, but without including the agreed to amount.
“Mexico confirmed its willingness to guarantee the delivery of an annual minimum quantity agreed to by both countries,” the statement said.
Though the US government celebrated the deal as a victory, it is a sensitive issue in Mexico, especially among farmers in northern states suffering drought conditions.
In the border state of Tamaulipas, across from Texas, farmers have said in recent weeks that the lack of water has led some to not plant crops.
The agreement followed a phone conversation last week between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. In December, Sheinbaum said Mexico would be sending more water to cover its existing debt.
Additional sources • AP