The Baja California Sur state Congress approved a formal directive on April 23 ordering OOMSAPAS Los Cabos, the municipal water and sanitation authority, to guarantee a minimum supply of potable water to informal settlements across the Los Cabos municipality. The resolution, known as an exhorto, targets communities near San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas that lack piped water connections.
An exhorto is a legislative call to action. It is not a binding law, but it creates an official record of congressional pressure on a public agency. In this case, the BCS Congress is putting OOMSAPAS Los Cabos on notice that it expects the utility to extend basic water access to residents living in areas without formal land titles.
Families Spending Thousands on Water Trucks
The directive comes as families in at least seven sectors of Cabo San Lucas live without a water network. Residents of these informal colonias depend on pipas, or water delivery trucks, which can cost up to 3,000 pesos (roughly $150 USD) per month. Some households wait more than a month between deliveries, according to an April 6 report by El Sudcaliforniano.
OOMSAPAS Los Cabos Director Ramón Rubio Apodaca has said that urban conditions and a lack of resources prevent the utility from expanding its network to these sites. Following negotiations in Mexico City, the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) authorized 10 additional tanker trucks for the agency and six 2,000-liter cisterns to serve settlements without piped connections.
Chronic Water Stress Across the Region
Los Cabos has long faced water scarcity. Fourteen of the state’s 39 aquifers are overexploited, including the San José del Cabo and San Lucas aquifers. The Santa Anita aquifer, which supplies San José del Cabo, the hotel corridor, and about 60 percent of Cabo San Lucas, is in critical condition.
Private desalination plants, estimated at around 30 facilities in the Cabo area, serve some developments. But these operate independently and do not feed the public water grid used by lower-income neighborhoods.
The congressional exhorto does not include a specific enforcement timeline or funding mechanism. It does, however, create a formal accountability record that OOMSAPAS must now respond to publicly. For residents of informal settlements who have waited years for reliable water access, the directive represents the strongest legislative stance yet on the issue.
This story was first reported by Noticias La Paz.