Mexico’s National Water Commission and IWMI Sign Agreement to Strengthen Water Security Through AI and Earth Observation

Mexico City,  Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have signed a Specific Agreement to advance a joint project using artificial intelligence, Earth observation and advanced analytics to strengthen Mexico’s water security and resilience, formalizing a partnership first agreed in June 2026.

Background

Mexico faces mounting water security challenges, including the need for better monitoring of water use and availability, tracking the impact of technification across 17 irrigation districts, river sanitation, and improving water quality in line with the country’s core public water policy instruments — the National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability (ANDHAS) and the National Water Program.

CONAGUA and IWMI have been building this collaboration over the course of 2026. IWMI Director General Mark Smith was earlier received by CONAGUA leadership to discuss how the country’s presidential vision for water security could be achieved using AI, Earth observation data and data analytics — priorities that have since been translated into formal, project-level cooperation.

The Agreement

During a visit to Mexico by IWMI Director General Mark Smith, the two organizations formalized the project “Artificial Intelligence, Earth Observation and Advanced Analytics for the Resilience and Water Security of Mexico,” building on the General Cooperation Agreement signed between CONAGUA and IWMI in June 2026. The specific agreement, supported by Google.org, aligns directly with Mexico’s National Water Program 2026-2030 and current presidential priorities on water security.

Through the project, CONAGUA and IWMI are collaborating across two main areas of action: improving data analysis on water quality and strengthening strategic information to support sanitation and restoration of the Lerma-Santiago river basin. One of the initial applications is focused on Mexico’s National Water Quality Network (RENAMECA), using AI-driven analysis to strengthen how water quality data is collected, processed and applied to policy decisions.

Mapping Industrial Water Demand

Beyond water quality, the CONAGUA-IWMI cooperation includes analysis of industrial water demand across Mexico. Under this component, the partners mapped 60,958 industrial facilities nationwide and developed municipal-level estimates and projections tailored to the specific industrial sector of each facility. Together, five initiatives under the broader partnership integrate artificial intelligence, satellite data and advanced analytical models, with results consolidated into dashboards designed to support planning and decision-making by Mexican water authorities.

Environmental Restoration Priorities

Environmental restoration has emerged as a key priority for CONAGUA and Mexico’s Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources under this cooperation, with particular focus on the Tula, Atoyac and Lerma-Santiago river basins — among the country’s most environmentally stressed watersheds, where water quality degradation and sanitation challenges have accumulated over decades of industrial and urban pressure.

Conclusion

The signing of this Specific Agreement marks a concrete step forward in translating months of technical dialogue between CONAGUA and IWMI into an operational programme, combining artificial intelligence, satellite-based Earth observation and advanced analytics to address some of Mexico’s most persistent water security challenges. By anchoring the collaboration in Mexico’s National Water Program 2026-2030 and channeling initial efforts toward the Lerma-Santiago basin and national water quality monitoring, the partnership aims to give Mexican water authorities the timely, reliable and actionable data needed to plan more effectively for the country’s water future.