Water and Population in the Yucatan Peninsula

Gelting, R.J. (1995). Water and Population in the Yucatan Peninsula. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-95-087

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Abstract

This paper explores the relation between population and water in the Yucatan Peninsula of southeastern Mexico, and how issues related to water have affected the inhabitants of the region from the time of the ancient Maya to today. The paper also discusses how water issues will affect the future population of the region. Water has historically been a scarce resource in the Yucatan. Despite a relatively humid climate, a combination of geologic and geographic conditions limit the availability of water in the region. The inhabitants of the region, from the ancient Maya to the present day population, have devised different strategies for coping with that scarcity. In recent years, however, the population of the Yucatan has grown rapidly as a result of economic development, especially the expansion of the tourism sector. With that rapid growth have come increased problems with both water supply and wastewater disposal. These problems are likely to be further magnified in the future as the population of the region continues to expand. This paper discusses future water needs of the Yucatan and different possibilities for meeting those needs. The paper also includes an annotated bibliography which provides some short notes about some of the most useful references cited and where they can be easily located.

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