Flood-prone areas of the Valley of Mexico mapped
Researchers from the UNAM Institute of Geography conducted a detailed mapping that identifies the areas most prone to rainfall in the Valley of Mexico, using satellite images obtained by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 radar.
According to the academic institution, the neighborhoods most at risk of flooding are La Laguna Ticomán and Lindavista in the Gustavo A. Madero borough; Parque Tezozómoc and the area surrounding the former 18 de Marzo refinery in Azcapotzalco; the Reforma Social neighborhood and the Hipódromo de las Américas in Miguel Hidalgo; the Zedec Santa Fe neighborhood in Cuajimalpa; and La Ciénega and the area surrounding the metro station in Tláhuac. Worrying accumulations of water were also detected in various sections of Chapultepec Park.
During the rains of June 2, rainfall of between 50 and 70 millimeters was recorded in just 24 hours, causing road disruptions and complications for thousands of people returning home. The most affected areas were concentrated in the center and east of the city, although, as researcher Ángel Emmanuel Zúñiga Tovar emphasized, the entire city faces some level of risk.
The mapping wasn't limited to the capital. Critical areas in metropolitan municipalities of the State of Mexico were also included, such as San Pedro Barrientos and Tequexquinahuac in Tlalnepantla; Los Laureles and the Ejido de Santa María Tulpetlac in Ecatepec; Santa María Tulantongo and Zaragoza in Texcoco; Izcalli Nezahualcóyotl and Chimalhuacán Avenue in Nezahualcóyotl; as well as Culturas de México and Jacalones in Chalco.
For his part, Eduardo Vázquez, executive director of Agua Capital, explained that this year's extraordinary rainfall, which has exceeded historical averages, requires an urgent redesign of urban and rural infrastructure, as most current systems were not designed to handle extreme events. In an interview with El Economista, he mentioned that, lacking the capacity to channel, infiltrate, or store large volumes of water, many urban areas face flooding, potholes, and property damage.
He highlighted that 59% of Mexico City's territory is classified as conservation land, where the best geological conditions exist to allow water infiltration. However, many of these areas—located mainly in southern and western municipalities such as Milpa Alta, Xochimilco, Álvaro Obregón, Magdalena Contreras, and Cuajimalpa—are being invaded by uncontrolled urban growth, which compromises their environmental function.
“More than regions, we should think about physical infrastructure and equipment that can capture these large volumes of water (such as) large: public buildings, private services, shopping centers, commercial warehouses, warehouses that have a large roof—which allows for a large catchment area, with a good, efficiently designed system that channels the water—regulates it, moderates its flow in some cases, it can even be saved for other times and the remainder can be gradually diverted to the drainage system and also coupled with these infiltration wells,” he mentioned.
He also noted that the State must promote incentives to encourage rainwater harvesting in all sectors, but he also considered that these types of systems should no longer be optional. "They should be mandatory in all major public or private infrastructure," he said.
Eleconomista
