Water Scarcity Is a Boom For Mexican Organized Crime

Authorities in the Mexican state of Michoacán are employing satellite technology to counter water theft, spotlighting the growing threat posed by criminal groups exploiting an increasingly scarce and valuable natural resource. 

The governor of Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, announced in late April that the state’s environmental surveillance system, used to monitor deforestation and land-use, would also keep an eye on 35,000 privately-owned irrigation reservoirs to ensure they are not illegally filled during the dry season. If the reservoirs are filled, the government will investigate the source of the water used, he said. 

The system, which is backed by NASA and European Union satellites, would permit authorities to “address environmental crimes on a large scale like never before in the state’s history,” Bedolla said.

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