Several water purification businesses in Mexico City and the State of Mexico have suspended services due to well closures in Operativo Caudal. Federal and state authorities secured dozens of wells accused of illegal water extraction, sparking protests and blockades by workers and pipers. The closures have left purification plants without raw materials, disrupting distribution in the area.
Operativo Caudal, launched on Friday, October 24, 2025, in 48 municipalities of the State of Mexico, aims to dismantle networks of water theft and illegal commercialization. Federal authorities and the State of Mexico's Attorney General's Office secured dozens of unauthorized wells in areas like Ecatepec, Texcoco, and Nezahualcóyotl, where overexploitation, clandestine distribution, and abusive pricing were detected. Officials stated that the extracted water was not properly potable, only chlorinated, posing health risks to the public. Over 300 tankers involved were detained, with prices exceeding the regulated rate by up to 59% in Ecatepec.
As a result, water purification plants in CDMX and Edomex announced temporary suspensions. A message from a plant in Iztapalapa reads: “AVISO URGENTE. Estimados clientes: Lamentamos informarles que debido al cierre de pozos que operan en el EdoMex (...), las purificadoras de agua nos vemos obligadas a cerrar por el desabasto de nuestra materia prima”. Purificadora Agua Real, serving both entities, stated: “SUSPENSIÓN TEMPORAL DEL SERVICIO DE AGUA PURIFICADA. A partir de este momento y hasta nuevo aviso, nos vemos obligados a suspender la venta y distribución de agua purificada (...) El cierre de los pozos de agua que eran nuestra única fuente de abastecimiento”. In Ecatepec, Purificadora Azteca noted: “No hay agua. Todos los pozos están CERRADOS, se les dará servicio hasta nuevo aviso”.
On Monday, October 27, purification workers and pipers protested with blockades on key avenues. In Ecatepec, Nezahualcóyotl, and Texcoco, roads like Avenida José López Portillo, Vía Morelos, and the Texcoco-Lechería highway were closed starting around 07:00, causing traffic jams. In Valle de Toluca, about 100 tankers blocked Calzada al Pacífico, Avenida Solidaridad Las Torres, and the Toluca-Tenango highway. Protesters demand resumption of operations, citing impacts on schools, hospitals, and homes. Purificadoras Unidas de CDMX and Edomex clarified they pay for tanker services, now halted.
The operation, based on citizen complaints and CNI information, involved all three levels of government to protect legal supply and restore legality.