Facing an escalating drinking water crisis, residents across Los Cabos are demanding urgent and lasting solutions. Weeks-long shortages have triggered growing frustration, leading to protests and road blockades as communities call on local authorities to take decisive action.
In Cabo San Lucas, several neighborhoods report going more than a month without running water, forcing families to rely on expensive private water deliveries.
The shortages have hit the most vulnerable hardest, widening the divide between residents and the tourism sector. While hotels and resorts continue to receive steady water supplies, low-income households struggle to meet basic needs such as cooking, cleaning, and hygiene.
“This situation is unsustainable,” said one resident. “We can’t live like this anymore.”
Last week, protesters blocked access roads along the tourist corridor and demonstrated outside the offices of the Los Cabos Water and Sewage Department (OOMSAPAS). The protest on October 22 forced the temporary closure of the offices.
Carrying banners that read “We Want Water!”, “Water Yes, Water Trucks No!”, and “There Is No Life Without Water,” demonstrators accused authorities of neglect and demanded immediate action. Municipal officials, including the General Secretary of the Delegation and OOMSAPAS manager Alejandro Herrera, announced an emergency water delivery program to mitigate the shortage. However, residents dismissed the measure as a temporary fix that fails to address the root causes of the crisis.
The water shortage in Los Cabos is not new but has become critical in recent years due to rapid population growth and booming tourism. The local desalination plant, intended to meet rising demand, currently operates at less than 40 percent capacity, producing just 90 liters per second compared to the 250 liters required. The shortfall has resulted in chronic shortages, especially in marginalized areas.
Government programs aimed at expanding truck-based water distribution have done little to ease the problem. In neighborhoods such as Portales, residents say water arrives for only a few hours a week.
Under mounting public pressure, authorities have opened dialogue tables with affected communities. In a recent meeting in Mexico City, Mayor Christian Agúndez and officials from the National Water Commission (Conagua) discussed plans to improve water infrastructure, including wastewater upgrades and increased desalination capacity.
Despite these talks, many residents remain skeptical. They argue that government promises have yet to yield tangible results, and that prolonged uncertainty continues to erode community morale.
Until concrete measures are implemented, protests are expected to continue. For many residents, access to clean and reliable water has become not just a necessity, but a matter of dignity and social justice, highlighting the growing inequality between local communities and the tourism industry that defines Los Cabos.
For now, hundreds of families persist in their daily struggle, convinced that only sustained pressure and collective action will bring lasting change.
Why do they have 17 golf courses consuming vast amounts of water while the people suffer?