Authorities in the Mexican state of Michoacn are employing satellite technology to counter water theft, as criminal groups exploiting an increasingly scarce and valuable natural resource. The environmental surveillance system will monitor deforestation and land-use, as well as the 35,000 privately-owned irrigation reservoirs to ensure they are not illegally filled during the dry season. If the reservoirs are filled, the government will investigate the source of the water used. The system, which is backed by NASA and EU satellites, would permit authorities to "address environmental crimes on a large scale like never before in the state's history."
