Mexico City, July 17 – The Mexico City Government has announced that ongoing flood control works on Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza, located in the Iztapalapa borough, are now scheduled for completion by August 14. This date is later than initially projected, primarily due to an atypical and early start to the rainy season.
Delays and Rationale Behind the Revised Timeline
The announcement comes amidst persistent flooding, significant ground subsidence-reportedly 45 centimeters in two years-and considerable disruption to thousands of pedestrians, public transport users, private vehicle owners, cargo transport, and local residents. Authorities have openly acknowledged that the scheduled completion of these crucial infrastructure projects was impacted by the unusually severe and premature rainfall.
Despite the setbacks, officials remain optimistic about the August 14 deadline, which falls after the originally anticipated end of the intense rainy season. “We know that from now until July 15, we will face heavy rains, and then the rain will go away, the World Cup will go away, and the rain will go away,” said Head of Government Clara Brugada in June, anticipating a clearer period for construction.
Zaragoza Project: 45% Completion and Key Features
The centerpiece of the flood control efforts along Calzada Zaragoza, specifically near the Peñón Viejo Metro station, involves the construction of nine storm tanks. This project, with an allocated budget of 107 million pesos, has currently reached a 45 percent completion rate.
Mario Esparza, head of the Secretariat of Comprehensive Water Management (Segiagua), detailed the functionality of these new tanks. They are designed to collectively hold over 4,200 cubic meters of water, effectively retaining rainwater, regulating its release, and gradually discharging it to prevent overwhelming the drainage system and causing floods.
Integrated Drainage System and Additional Works
These storm tanks will channel the collected water towards the El Salado regulating basin, which recently underwent desilting to double its capacity. From there, the water will ultimately flow into the East Emitter and the deep drainage system. Esparza explained, “These works were planned to be finished earlier, but given the complexity of their construction and the early rainy season this year, there have been delays.”
In addition to the storm tanks, Segiagua is also adjusting the slope of the roadway to redirect water to the median, thereby diverting it away from residential properties. On República Federal, a new collector spanning more than 1.2 kilometers in length and 1.5 meters in diameter is under construction. This collector will pass beneath the Metro lines, designed to transport 6,000 liters of rainwater per second to El Salado, further preventing inundations. This particular segment of the project is being executed with an investment of 99 million pesos and is currently between 40 to 50 percent complete.
Impact and Future Outlook
Despite numerous instances of waterlogging, closures of Metro Line A due to water reaching the tracks, and water ingress into various properties, Head of Government Brugada maintained that the damage this season has been less severe compared to previous years. “There hasn’t been a serious flood in Iztapalapa. Yes, waterlogging, yes, in some places, but not of the magnitude we had last time,” she commented.
Brugada also highlighted that approximately 1.5 billion pesos have been allocated for 55 drainage projects in Iztapalapa to address recurrent flooding. She acknowledged that while these works are significant, they might not entirely prevent new flooding incidents in the immediate future.
“We are doing a lot of work to curb floods. I don’t want to say that this year we won’t suffer; so far, we cannot claim victory in Iztapalapa yet. We still have two or three months of rain. We are just starting to conclude some, others are not concluded, but I am sure that by the end of the year, we will have these 54 works finished, and for next year, we will have a better year without so many flooding problems,” Brugada added, expressing confidence in the long-term benefits of the ongoing initiatives.
