El agua en la frontera Chiapas-Guatemala

Reflexiones antropológicas sobre la seguridad hídrica

Abstract

This paper aims to describe the practices and perceptions of residents at the Mexico-Guate-malan border regarding to water, especially focusing on concepts as residual water and the contamination of the Suchiate River that divides the two nations. The ethnographic dates indicate that there are cultural barriers to establishing water security in the local and border contexts. The guarantee of potable water, in terms of its quality and quantity, is considered a kind of self-responsibility, while the management of the residual water generated is invisible, both for the residents and for the local government. Furthermore, with respect to the conta-mination of the Suchiate River there is an opinion that the contamination is the product of “others” and not “us and our side”. These facts reveal that it is crucial to have a reflection on water security from below, starting from cultural barriers.