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The Socioeconomic Dimensions of Water Scarcity in Urban and Rural Mexico: A Comprehensive Assessment of Sustainable Development

Author

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  • Silvana Pacheco-Treviño

    (School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, E. Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico)

  • Mario G. Manzano-Camarillo

    (School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, E. Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico)

Abstract

Mexico faces severe water scarcity due to population growth, industrial activities, and climate change. The arid and semidesert conditions prevalent in northern Mexico, particularly in Nuevo Leon, significantly accentuate the challenges associated with water scarcity. This region is vulnerable to water scarcity due to minimal rainfall, recurrent droughts, and the increasing pressure of water demand from the densely populated Monterrey. We examined the disparities that contribute to water poverty by comparing water scarcity between rural and urban populations in Nuevo Leon. The results revealed significant contrasts in water scarcity between the two populations, indicating that different factors contribute to water poverty based on regional, territorial, and cultural characteristics. We selected the water poverty index (WPI) as an evaluation metric due to its inherent compatibility with available data sources, which facilitates its application to stakeholders and ensures comparability with other regions. This study contributes to studies on water scarcity assessment by addressing a critical limitation of the WPI. We compared three weighting methods—equal weight, principal component analysis (PCA), and analytic hierarchy process (AHP)—and identified that PCA and AHP demonstrated a superior performance compared to the standard methodology. These findings underscore the importance of considering region-specific conditions, as well as socioeconomic disparities between rural and urban populations and their role in vulnerability to water scarcity in calculating water poverty. These insights provide valuable information for customized solutions to regional challenges, representing leading actions toward sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvana Pacheco-Treviño & Mario G. Manzano-Camarillo, 2024. "The Socioeconomic Dimensions of Water Scarcity in Urban and Rural Mexico: A Comprehensive Assessment of Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-20, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:1011-:d:1325747
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Peter Lawrence & Jeremy Meigh & Caroline Sullivan, 2002. "The Water Poverty Index:an International Comparison," Keele Economics Research Papers KERP 2002/19, Centre for Economic Research, Keele University, revised Mar 2003.
    5. Distefano, Tiziano & Kelly, Scott, 2017. "Are we in deep water? Water scarcity and its limits to economic growth," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 130-147.
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