Mexico City has been facing a water crisis for a while. Even with increased rainfall, not enough is being captured to supply the needs of the city's 22 million people - it's a common challenge for megacities. Many people refuse to pay their water bill because of frequent outages (and a variety of other factors), meaning the authorities are not receiving enough revenue to invest in updating water systems (both to make them more efficient and to capture more water). It's a downward spiral of reduced services leading to reduced investment and vice versa. Professor of Development Economics, Alejandro Estefan is working with the government of Mexico City on the economic challenge it presents.
Global Dialogues: The Worsening Water Crisis is a new, interactive series presented by Notre Dame International and ThinkND that highlights the University’s global reach through research, activism, and local impact around the globe as a further exploration of what connects us in our Care for Our Common Home.
During this series, we will learn about the global water crisis by connecting with partners around the world to study issues of water, including its accessibility, its impact on cities, and its importance to equity and food production.
Each week, we will travel the globe, from Mumbai to São Paulo, and showcase the impact of local research and fieldwork that is happening throughout the University’s network of programs, partnerships, and engagements with local people, organizations, and governments.
The Worsening Water Crisis will deliver a deep dive into local case studies that will be examined and discussed with an aim to connect, educate, inspire, and motivate people to come together to solve this global issue. It will offer an opportunity to engage with international communities and learn about the impact of climate change from Notre Dame’s expert faculty.
Please register for the series here. More Information can be found here. Sponsored by Notre Dame International and ThinkND.