Resumen

VALENCIA-VARGAS, Juan Carlos. Development of the Balsas Hydrological Region by Modifying Prohibitions. Tecnol. cienc. agua [online]. 2015, vol.6, n.1, pp.81-97. ISSN 2007-2422.

Balsas Hydrological Region No. 18 consists of 8 states and 420 municipalities in Mexico, with an area corresponding to 6% of the national territory. Over 10% of the country's population lives there and it generates 10% of the electricity and 25% of the hydroelectric power consumed in the country. In 1937, only 38% of the population had electricity. Therefore, the federal government created the Federal Electric Commission (FEC) which began to build the first hydroelectric plants, taking advantage of runoffs in upper portions of basins-- from small water flows to large falls. Given the topography of the Balsas River basin, it is a natural generator of electricity, which is why the use of its waters for activities not related to energy generation was prohibited. The resulting inability to provide the population water to meet its basic needs produced economic and social marginalization in the region. To correct this situation, the Balsas River Basin Council decided to modify the prohibition and allocate water for human use and consumption. On March 22, 2011, the presidential decree was published which permitted allocating 219 645 221.83 m³/year (until 2030), with a reserve of113 001 678.17 m³/year, benefiting 340 municipalities and 4 245 115 inhabitants.

Palabras llave : water; prohibitions; development.