While Sonora cracks under the sun and public school drinking fountains remain empty, Mexican children face a double tragedy: thirst and poor nutrition. Instead of clean water, they drink soda.
Instead of healthy food, they find junk food. And meanwhile, those who should be concerned about children’s health seem more interested in the ballot box. Mexico is experiencing an environmental, food, and political crisis. More than 60 percent of the national territory is suffering from some degree of drought, according to the National Water Commission’s Drought Monitor. States like Sonora, Chihuahua, and Guanajuato are in critical condition.
In many schools, water doesn’t flow, and what little there is is unsafe to drink. This isn’t just a lack of infrastructure: it’s a flagrant violation of the human right to water. In this landscape of scarcity and institutional neglect, the soft drink industry has found a strategic niche. The lack of access to drinking water, especially in schools and communities, encourages the consumption of sugary drinks. Large bottlers have taken advantage of the absence of the State to position themselves as providers of liquids, even in places where water is scarce for the most basic needs.
This substitution of water for soft drinks is no coincidence; it responds to an economic model that prioritizes profit over public health. Thus, soft drinks become more accessible than clean water, perpetuating a cycle of dependency that particularly affects children and puts the health of future generations at risk. But thirst doesn’t come alone; it comes with sugar. Mexico leads the world in childhood obesity rates; one in three children is overweight or obese, according to data from the National Institute of Public Health.
The causes are clear and avoidable: soft drinks and junk food are normalized and accessible in almost all schools in the country. In many school cooperatives, there are more colas than water. As Julio Hernández Astillero pointed out in his video column, Mario Delgado’s arrangements with junk food companies are indefensible, and in the face of all this mess, the Secretary of Education remains silent. His agenda seems to be dominated by the presidential race, not by the urgent needs of Mexican children.
As the former Secretary of Education of Mexico City, he should know that without adequate water and nutrition, learning is impossible. And without health, there is no future. Where are the proposals to guarantee drinking water in schools? Where is the will to prohibit or at least regulate the sale of junk food in public schools? We cannot talk about transformation if we allow new generations to grow up with preventable diseases. It is our duty to guarantee clean water and healthy food in schools; it must be a national priority. It cannot continue to be a marginal conversation amid the electoral noise. This is not a technical problem: it is a moral issue.
