Fundación Coca-Cola México and Corporación del Fuerte will install rainwater harvesting systems at six schools in Baja California as part of the “Escuelas con Agua” (Schools with Water) initiative. Five of the schools are in Tijuana and one is in the San Quintín valley, about 185 miles south of the border city.
The announcement comes as the national program reaches a milestone of 1,000 schools equipped with rainwater capture technology across Mexico. The six Baja California installations mark the program’s latest expansion into the state’s water-stressed northwest.
Water Challenges in Tijuana and San Quintín
Baja California depends heavily on imported water. Roughly 80% of the state’s supply comes from the Colorado River, with the remaining 20% drawn from underground aquifers, according to research from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC). Dropping water levels in the Colorado River basin have forced Tijuana to implement rotating service schedules during hot seasons, leaving entire neighborhoods without water for days at a time.
San Quintín, a major agricultural corridor in the municipality of Ensenada, faces its own water scarcity. The valley’s aquifers have been overdrawn for decades to support large-scale tomato and berry farming. Residents and schools in the area often rely on water trucks for basic supply.
How the Program Works
The Escuelas con Agua program installs rooftop collection systems that channel rainfall into storage tanks for use in school bathrooms, kitchens, and cleaning. In semi-arid regions like Baja California, where annual rainfall is limited, even modest collection can reduce a school’s dependence on the municipal grid or trucked-in water.
Corporación del Fuerte, a Sinaloa-based food company with operations throughout northwest Mexico, partners with Fundación Coca-Cola on the initiative. The program has operated nationally for several years, but this is one of its first significant pushes into Baja California.
Private Investment Fills a Gap
The installations represent private-sector investment in public school infrastructure at a time when government water agencies face tight budgets. CONAGUA, Mexico’s National Water Commission, has classified several of Baja California’s aquifers as over-exploited. Rainwater harvesting offers a low-cost supplement, though it cannot replace the large-scale infrastructure the state needs.
Specific school names, installation dates, and system capacities have not yet been released. The announcement was first reported by Zeta Tijuana.