Resumo

GUZMAN-SORIA, Eugenio et al. Groundwater consumption in Guanajuato, México. Agrociencia [online]. 2009, vol.43, n.7, pp.749-761. ISSN 2521-9766.

The problem of overexploitation of groundwater in Mexico is aggravated by the low efficiency in the use of the resource and the contamination of the supply sources. The situation of the state of Guanajuato is serious and requires alternatives of solution that could come about from recommendations of policy that contribute to making a more efficient and rational use of this vital liquid. In the present work the factors that affect water consumption were determined in the urban, livestock, irrigation agriculture and industrial sectors of the state, for which a model of simultaneous equations was estimated comprised of four equations of demand and four identities for the period 1980-2004. The analysis of results show that the amount of water consumed responds inelastically to changes in price, with elasticities of -0.0150 for the urban sector, -0.0038 for the livestock sector and -0.052 for irrigation agriculture (the quota of maintenance of the infrastructure of the Irrigation District was used, plus the effect of the cost of electric energy for agricultural use, given that the water is free) and -0.126 for the industrial sector. These elasticities indicate that water consumption in the urban and livestock sectors is more insensitive to changes in price, than in the industrial and irrigation agriculture sectors. Therefore, the policies of the administration of consumption should consider increases in these sectors, given that it is possible to reducte of 1 % the amount consumed by industry and irrigation agriculture, increasing the price of water by 7.93 and 19.2 %.

Palavras-chave : Irrigation agriculture; water consumption in the urban and industrial sectors; elasticity; model of simultaneous equations; livestock.

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