User:Annadubon/Water supply and sanitation in Mexico

My proposed edits overview

• Organizations and programs >> Fundación Cántaro Azul – Under the heading called “Organizations and programs”, there is a subheading dedicated to Fundación Cántaro Azul, the organization that I plan to work with for my practice experience. When I first encountered this article, the section for my org merely had a title, but no content. I’ve added one sentence to get it started, but I would like to add a more comprehensive overview of the FCA’s work and impact in Mexico. I have already done a lot of research on this topic and am very familiar with their work.
• History and recent developments – This heading gives a brief overview of the history of water policy in Mexico, most of it focused on developments post-1948. I’ve done a lot of research on the long and complicated history of water management in Mexico. I would like to add more to the history pre-1948, especially giving an overview of water management during the colonial period. Although Mexico gained independence in 1917, I think that pre-independence water management practices shed a lot of light on the current state of water practices in Mexico. Moreover, much of the history described is legal history. While this is important, I would like to add the history of water rights activism in Mexico.

Italicized text = pre-existing text written by other users

Bold text = my edits

History and Recent Developments Heading

>> New subheading: "Pre-Conquest Mexico and the Colonial Era"

In pre-conquest Mesoamerica, water was a deified resource that united indigenous communities. Water was thought to have been a gift from the gods and was thus held to a high degree of respect and protection. The indigenous people performed spectacular feats of engineering, creating complex water cultivation systems that both provided water to their large populations and sustainably preserved natural resources. The Spanish approach to water stood in stark contrast to indigenous valuation of water and commitment of environmental protection. Primary sources reveal the Spaniards’ initial awe of the ingenuity and complexity of indigenous water systems, especially the construction of Tenochtitlan (now known as Mexico City), the capital city-state of the Mexica empire that was built in the center of an enormous lake . "Preventing periodic and destructive flooding in Mexico City during the colonial era nearly forced the move of the capital to the mainland of the interior lake system. Instead, the Spanish crown invested millions pesos and mobilized tens of thousands of indigenous men in compulsory labor to build a tunnel and then an open cut trench to drain waters out of the Basin of Mexico. The Spanish facilitated a series of practices, which would eventually lead to ecological destruction, including constructing dams, burning woodlands, and diverting water from lakes and canals . The Desagüe was finally completed in the late nineteenth century under Porfirio Díaz, who contracted with British entrepreneur Weetman Pearson to complete the project using modern machinery to dredge a 47 km. trench.

The Mexican revolution of the 1910s brought sweeping changes, specifically in the area of land and social rights. In particular, the Mexican constitution, passed in 1917, instituted major land reforms, including the right to communal lands, known as the ejido system. This system specifically allowed for indigenous communities to legally own traditionally communal lands to live on and work. These land rights also included the ownership of any water resources within the territory. Moreover, the responsibility of water supply and sanitation was specifically designated to the federal government, a duty that was maintained for many decades post-revolution.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Mexican water supply and sanitation sector has undergone several changes of organization to improve its performance"

Organizations and programs >> Fundación Cántaro Azul

Fundación Cántaro Azul is a non-profit organization operating of Chiapas, Mexico that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to providing people throughout Mexico with access to clean water, sanitation, and hygienic practices. Fundación Cántaro Azul (FCA) undergoes a wide range of activities in order to achieve its goal. The organization primarily creates and provides communities with water sanitation and hygienic technologies, like home water sanitation, that ensure households and communities with good water quality and other public health benefits. Accompanying these activities, FCA conducts research to assess quality at project locations. Also, they champion education programs that promote good hygiene practices. They work closely with communities, as well as local health services, governments, and organizations, to ensure that each project is tailored to fit that community’s needs.