LOS PRIVILEGIADOS DE LAS POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS DE DESARROLLO REGIONAL: LAS POLÍTICAS HIDRÁULICAS PARA EL ABASTO URBANO DE AGUA.

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.3174232418096

• Palavras-chave: Geopolítica, presas, acumulación por desposesión, privatización del agua, políticas hidráulicas

• Keywords: Geopolitics, dams, accumulation by dispossession, privatization of water, hydraulic policies.

• Abstract: The public policies of the Mexican government have been driven by economic development programs that privilege the benefit of large urban conglomerates at the expense of the sacrifice of resources on which the rural population depend for its survival. This type of policies are based on processes of accumulation by dispossession (Harvey, 2005), generating social conflicts and resistance of the affected communities, as well as an irreversible deterioration of ecosystems. Hydraulic infrastructure projects, such as dams, are emblematic of these neoliberal policies because of the effects involved in dispossession of land and water which force displacement of people. These contexts give way to confrontations between actors at the local, regional, national and international levels. Here we propose an analysis from the perspective of geopolitics, in order to detect the mechanisms that operate in the exercise of hydraulic policies that tend to privatize common goods through dispossession and their commodification. The article analyzes the case of the El Zapotillo dam, built in the region of Los Altos de Jalisco to provide urban water supply to León and Guadalajara. The research addresses a diachronic analysis of policies from documentary and newspapers review, interviews with key informants and field trips. Results of this research reveal the true objective pursued by public policies, hidden behind the official discourse that advocates for the wellbeing of the majorities who lack water in the cities.