In recent campaign stops in Chapala and other lakeshore communities, three top contenders for Jalisco’s governor’s chair have pledged to defend Mexico’s largest lake to the hilt.
“We will not take more water from Lake Chapala,” declared National Action Party (PAN) candidate Fernando Guzman during his trip to Chapala Tuesday, April 24, for a luncheon date with 400 supporters and a subsequent public rally held at the waterfront.
Taking a stance against construction of a twin pipeline for the Chapala-Guadalajara aqueduct, he stated, “For us it is a big concern that our lake may suffer from new water extractions, that it will endure a new aqueduct to carry more water to the Guadalajara metro area,” he stated.
“If I am governor there will be no line two of the aqueduct. It’s not necessary and I will not allow it,” Alfaro promised local followers. “We will promote the lake as a hydrological protected area and respect the international declaration of Lake Chapala as a Ramsar site.”
On the stump in Chapala April 14, frontrunner Aristotoles Sandoval – slated on the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ticket – dodged the specific topic of the new aqueduct while pledging to defend the lake’s right to a fair share of water resources “con pantalones” (i.e. with male bravado). Although he underlined his intention to promote Chapala as a major tourist destination, his speech focused principally on support for mothers and working women and public security issues.