Conflictos intratables por el agua en México: el caso de la disputa por presa El Zapotillo entre Guanajuato y Jalisco

Abstract

Water governance has become highly politicized in recent years, to an extent that it has generated confrontations that appear to lack any negotiated solution. In this article I apply the literature on intractable conflict to explore a key case study on disputes over water distribution: the case of El Zapotillo dam (designed to provide water to the city of León, Guanajuato, as well as the highland region of Jalisco and the city of Guadalajara). In the article I offer a hypothesis on which factors lead to conflict intractability. I also present an analytical model to study the evolution of water disputes in the case study at hand, and I suggest possible ways in which reframing can occur in order to solve it satisfactorily. The article analyzes the historical evolution of this dispute through an assessment of conflictivity and proposes a new way to approach the conflict.