Mexico City — Dozens of farmers drove tractors to the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, blocking an entrance to protest a proposed national water law they say would expand federal control and divert water away from rural communities.
The protesters parked their tractors in front of the lower house and stretched a banner between two vehicles reading “If it affects the countryside, it affects the city!” They argue the General Water Law under debate threatens their livelihoods and undermines rural communities’ access to water.
Jorge Robles, a farmer from Chihuahua, described the action as a response to what he called an imposition by the federal government and warned the reform could even jeopardize land rights. The bill has the backing of President Claudia Sheinbaum and is being debated in a Chamber of Deputies where her Morena party holds a majority.
The proposal would increase penalties for water-related crimes and impose tighter controls on water concessions, a sector long marked by corruption scandals. Backers say those changes are necessary to curb abuses and improve resource management; critics fear they will centralize authority and reduce small farmers’ access to water.
The tractor blockade followed road and highway disruptions in at least seven states last week, when farmers and truck drivers protested highway insecurity and demanded higher prices for corn and wheat. Those earlier blockades were lifted after agreements with the federal government, but agricultural leaders warned they could escalate actions if the water reform advances in Congress.
