Mexico City details water protection measures

The government of Mexico City is implementing different measures to address water scarcity and the changing weather conditions resulting from climate change.

The actions focus on increasing the city's environmental resilience, ensuring equitable access to water, and reducing risks related to climate change effects, local environmental ministry (Sedema) said in a statement.

The measures include the capital's resilience strategy which was launched last year, the evaluation of metropolitan area's urban water system resilience, the creation of the Mexico City water fund, the development of a water resilience plan for the Xochimilco-Tláhuac-Milpa Alta region, as well as the 2012-2030 strategy for the conservation of the water forest located in the western outskirts of the city.

Following the best international practices, local authorities have also launched the creation of water plazas - public squares that serve to store water from surrounding streets during the rainy seasons-, such as the La Viga linear park located in the capital's Venustiano Carranza and the Cuauhtémoc districts, and the La Quebradora park in the eastern district of Iztapalapa.

As part of its efforts to promote sustainable water culture in the city, the local government has carried out workshops, lectures, and exhibitions.

Ways to promote this mindset were discussed on Wednesday during the opening of the first regional meeting for water culture in the Mexico Valley basin. The two-day event is organized by Sedema; GecyCA, a specialized group in communication and water culture; the Mexico Valley basin council; and Chapingo University, which took place at the campus of the agricultural college.

Sedema shares data on Mexico City's water coverage, consumption

According to Sedema, potable water coverage in Mexico City reaches 97.4% of the local population, while 98.8% of residents have access to sewerage services. However, the ministry noted that water scarcity is set to exacerbate in the next few years due to increasing changes in weather patterns and, with that, water supply levels will also reduce.

In the Mexico Valley basin, home to the Mexico City metropolitan area, 87.7 cubic meters of water is consumed every second. Of this total, 5.8m3 is provided by reclaimed water, another 2.7m3 come from water bodies, 59.5m3 is provided by the area's aquifer, while the remaining 19.7m3 comes at high cost from the Lerma-Cutzamala system.