Mexico, Mexico City: SACM water fines not viable – legal advisor

Mexico City water utility SACM’s proposal to impose fines on clients who waste water is not legally viable, federal district (DF) government legal advisor Leticia Bonifaz said. SACM director Ramón Aguirre previously proposed a plan that would have imposed fines of up to 15,000 pesos (US$1,149) on individuals and businesses caught wasting water.

The plan, if implemented under the current Mexico City water law, would result in a legal battle for SACM due to the fact that the concept of water waste is not included in the law, according to Bonifaz. “My advice to SACM is that if we impose these fines, people will appeal against them and we are not going to win those appeals,” Bonifaz said.

The DF legal department is now working on a reform to the law, which is expected to be ready in November 2009.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 14 Oct 2009