Water for the Desert

Have you ever bathed in the desert?

It may sound like a contradiction, but it's the daily reality for millions of people living in cities built on arid lands—lands that, by any standard, can be classified as deserts.

I’ve experienced it myself: swimming under the stars and perfect moons of the Arizona desert.

I invite you to read these lines while listening to Sting’s Desert Rose (https://music.youtube.com/search?q=desert+rose+sting)—just as one listens to the sound of rain arriving on dry, cracked earth.

Flying into Arizona from cities like Houston reveals a stunning geography: hours and hours of barren land with little to no vegetation, interrupted only by rare green patches near reservoirs. I had the chance to venture in that direction in September 2024, following my heart… and also dreaming of new opportunities for my company, Water Co.

"I dream of rain

I dream of gardens in the desert sand

I wake in vain

I dream of love as time runs through my hand"

Arizona is now one of the most innovative states in the U.S. in terms of water management. Over the past century, it has developed massive storage and distribution systems like the Central Arizona Project, which carries water from the Colorado River to cities like Phoenix and Tucson. But this model has reached its limit. The overexploitation of the Colorado River basin has led to a critical point. By 2026, Arizona will need to renegotiate water-sharing agreements with other states. What’s at stake is the water security of more than 40 million people across the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico.

Amid this context, I met J., a dear friend whose parents migrated to the U.S. from Denmark and India. She offered me her time, her open mind, and her heart to listen to my ideas. And that, my friends, is worth gold in a world where relationships are often governed by financial self-interest: “Does it benefit me? Will it bring me money?” If yes—then count me in.

J. learned the value of listening and collaboration from her mother’s stories of rural India and from one of her best friends—one of those heroic Guatemalan women who crossed the desert on foot. It was J. who encouraged me to write a scientific-technical proposal for the Arizona Water Conference, which annually welcomes over 3,000 attendees. In 2025, the event will hold its 98th edition—ninety-eight years! An extraordinary milestone—almost a century of accumulated knowledge, public and private investment, and structural solutions that have brought water to the desert.

What could I possibly offer in a space with so much expertise?

I chose to follow my usual method: listen, diagnose, propose, act.Just as a medical specialist treats their patient—this is how Dr. Water works.

My upcoming presentation is titled: “Enhancing Urban Cooling through Strategic Reforestation and Water Reuse in Arizona.”

This proposal demonstrates how satellite data and artificial intelligence can help identify priority zones for urban street reforestation in areas exposed to extreme heat, and how greywater reuse can help sustain these small urban forests. The model integrates indicators of vegetative cover, surface temperature, and hydrological balance, offering viable technical pathways to bring green life back into the desert.

I dream of rain

I lift my gaze to empty skies above

I close my eyes

The rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love

But beyond the science, I am driven by a poetic vision: to bring the wisdom of riparian zones—where water touches the earth with tenderness—into dry cities, so that love for life may once again flow through the streets in the form of shade and coolness.

In January 2025, I received word from the Arizona Water Association: my proposal had been accepted as part of the conference's technical sessions. A true honor for me, as a Guatemalan who has worked hard to keep my company, Water Co., alive and thriving in a challenging environment.

And I say this not with complaint, but with hope. Because it's not just a dream—it's something we've already started. From Guatemala, we've developed blue economy projects in Costa Rica and El Salvador, and soon, we’ll do the same in our own country to support the planning of large-scale urban developments. We can innovate. We can contribute tropical, resilient, and functional solutions—even to places like the American Southwest.

I will present this proposal at no cost to Arizona, hoping instead to open doors to new partnerships, more conversations, and greater shared impact. I do it also for my colleagues across Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and the U.S., with whom I share both dreams and water projects.

I also have a more personal reason. A dream. I dream of an oasis. Of flowers, of cactus, of hummingbirds resting in the shade. I dream of walking barefoot on green grass—even in the middle of the desert.

"Sweet desert rose

This memory of hidden hearts and souls

This desert flower

This rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love"

Like water that slowly carves stone, seeping into cracks, finding its way—this is how I move forward: with patience, with gentle strength, with faith.

I’m writing these words from a plane, with my son by my side. He’s traveling with me for the first stop on this adventure.

We are now flying over the border between Mexico and the United States. Far ahead, I can already see the skies of Arizona.

And once more, I dare to dream.

—

Originally published in Spanish on April 7, 2025, in La Hora: https://lahora.gt/opinion/marco-morales/2025/04/07/agua-para-el-desierto/