AccScience Publishing / AJWEP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AJWEP025220180
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Water situation in Las Vigas from a socioenvironmental perspective

Adriana Miranda Esteban1† Irma Bedolla Solano2†* Juan José Bedolla Solano2* Oscar Sánchez Adame3† Ramón Bedolla Solano1,4†*
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1 School of Sociology, Autonomous University of Guerrero, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
2 Instituto Tecnológico de Acapulco, Mexico Instituto Tecnológico Nacional de México, Guerrero, México
3 Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of Guerrero, Guerrero, Mexico
4 School of Sociology, Doctorate in Environmental Sciences – CCDR-UAGro, Acapulco, Autonomous University of Guerrero, Guerrero, Mexico
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
Received: 30 May 2025 | Revised: 24 July 2025 | Accepted: 28 July 2025 | Published online: 15 August 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Water is essential to life, yet scarcity and contamination remain persistent global challenges. This study analyzed the water situation in Las Vigas, a rural community in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero, Mexico, from a socioenvironmental perspective, focusing on three water sources: natural streams, artificial irrigation canals, and potable water from the community system. A mixed-methods approach was used, comprising participant observation, surveys, and interviews. The participant observation revealed that water issues are tied to economic marginalization, the presence of urban solid waste and agrochemical containers in water bodies, and insufficient institutional infrastructure. A structured questionnaire with 41 closed-ended questions was applied to 35 residents. In the socioeconomic dimension, 66% of respondents were women, 77% had stable jobs, and 60% lived in owned homes, although 43% had only a primary education, limiting access to technical knowledge. In the environmental dimension, 86% perceived stream contamination, 94% canal contamination, 97% recurrent droughts, and 83% a lack of water conservation culture. In the sociopolitical dimension, 89% perceived a lack of environmental education, and 86% attributed water shortages to institutional failures, especially in the pumping system (69%). Only 20% believed that wastewater treatment plants existed, although none currently do. Interviews with 42 key informants reinforced that water scarcity, contamination, and unequal access are interconnected challenges rooted in structural weaknesses. The findings highlight the urgent need for integrated strategies that promote water governance, environmental education, community participation, and infrastructure enhancement to ensure sustainable and equitable access to water in the Las Vigas community.

Keywords
Water
Socioenvironment
Contamination
Water supply
Community participation
Sustainability
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, Electronic ISSN: 1875-8568 Print ISSN: 0972-9860, Published by AccScience Publishing