Committee: ​World Health Organization (WHO)

Topic: ​Water Pollution

Delegation:​ Mexico

Water Pollution is an issue that affects many countries worldwide. Water pollution is
caused mainly by trash, microplastics, and excessive amounts of nutrients causing large algae
blooms. When plastic trash is not disposed of properly, lots of it ends up in our oceans. This is
not only a threat to the ecosystems but also to the animals that live in them. Tens of thousands of
marine animals die every year because of plastic waste (Plastic Statistics). Some animals mistake
it for food and others get caught in it. Nutrients can cause huge algae blooms called Dead Zones
that make it nearly impossible for the needed amounts of oxygen and sunlight to reach beyond
the surface of the water.
Water pollution affects Mexico in two main ways, the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico,
and contaminated drinking water. Water contaminated by feces is a huge problem throughout the
majority of Mexico. In the state of Oaxaca, 54 out of every 100,000 residents died from the
effects of contaminated water (Mexico’s Drinking Water, 2000). The reason for such highly
contaminated water is plumbing which in some places is up to 500 years old. To attempt to
combat this, the Mexican government has tried to promote the number of homes connected to
clean drinking water, incorporate sustainable infrastructure, and identify and combat surface
water contamination. The other way that Mexico is affected by water pollution is the large algae
bloom in the Gulf of Mexico that is smothering ecosystems. Farming chemicals have poured into
the gulf and causing this dead zone and endangering ecosystems (Milman).
The country of Mexico is open to almost any solution due to the severity of which its
citizens are affected by water pollution. Reverse osmosis would be a great way to keep
contaminants out of Mexico’s drinking water. Reverse osmosis removes salt and dissolved solids
from unclean water (Principles of Reverse Osmosis 2013). Another possible solution would be to
tax industrial facilities that cause chemical water pollution. This causes companies to consider
the price of their emissions and compare them to the price of looking to more environmentally
friendly solutions.
Works Cited

“Report: Mexico’s Drinking Water Largely Contaminated,” ​Water and Waste Digest,
https://www.wwdmag.com/report-mexicos-drinking-water-largely-contaminated
“ ‘Dead Zone’ in the Gulf of Mexico will take decades to recover from farm pollution,” ​The
Guardian, March 22, 2018,
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/22/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico-decad
es-recover-study
“Plastic Statistics,” ​Ocean Crusaders, November 2018
http://oceancrusaders.org/plastic-crusades/plastic-statistics/
“Mexico has some of the best Water laws around. So why are it’s rivers so contaminated?,” ​The
Washington Post, April 26, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/04/26/mexico-has-som
e-of-the-best-water-laws-around-so-why-are-its-rivers-so-contaminated/?noredirect=on&
utm_term=.1a98db49a77b
“Mexico Environmental Laws, Regulation, and History,” ​Mexico Environmental Laws,
regulations, and History,
https://insights.offshoregroup.com/mexican-environmental-laws-unenforced-turmoil-or-ev
olving-success
“Water: a crisis that can only get worse,” ​Mexico News Daily, March 2017,
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/water-a-crisis-that-can-only-get-worse/

http://lpt.lanxess.com/uploads/tx_lxsmatrix/01_lewabrane_manual_ro_theory.pdf
Thank you Honorable Chair,
The country of Mexico feels that the issue of Water Pollution is an urgent matter that concerns
the health of the people as well as that of the environment. Excess nutrients from farming is
smothering environments by causing algae blooms. Old plumbing has caused the majority of
water in mexico to be contaminated as well. This contaminated water is making people get sick
and in some cases die. Plastic trash is harming marine life greatly. The body should know that
due to water pollution there are tens of thousands of marine animals dying every year. In some
parts of Mexico, 54 out of every 10,000 people are dying from the effects of contaminated water.
The country of Mexico encourages the committee to considering implementing laws similar to
the ones already in place in Mexico. Mexico looks forward to working with other countries to find
a long term solution to this issue.