Industrial water productivity in Mexico: Efficiency analysis for eight sectors

Abstract

An efficiency analysis is presented on the use and exploitation of water resources by the main industrial sectors, which consume the greatest volume in Mexico in their production processes. This analysis was carried out at the national level for each of the eight selected industrial sectors. Prior to the analysis of water efficiency, some characteristics and particularities of water resources are contextualized and described, as well as the main features of the industry. The methodological procedure of the investigation was descriptive and deductive, based on official sources in Mexico. Some of the conclusions include: 1) limited and scattered access to official sources of information on the use and exploitation of water in industry; 2) estimates of water efficiency show some heterogeneity and greater mastery of volumes of water by some industrial sectors, on others of lesser relevance; 3) water efficiency was based on the cost-production relationship; 4) industrial water use is geographically heterogeneous and dispersed, since most industries are located in the central and northern areas of the country, where paradoxically there are lower levels of water availability, contrary to the southern and southeastern areas of Mexican territory, where water availability is abundant and, paradoxically, there is less economic dynamism, and 5) the water efficiency results are rough estimates, due to the complexity of the data and the filters that you they saw what to do during the investigation.