Mexico City, June 9 – The Mexico City Congress, through its Commission for the Use and Exploitation of Public Space, successfully organized the International Environmental Forum “Rescue of Urban Rivers and the Environmental Future of Mexico City” yesterday. The forum served as a crucial platform for dialogue, sharing experiences, research, and proposals aimed at revitalizing the city’s urban waterways.
Legislators and Experts Advocate for River Recovery
The event, held at the College of Architects and the Society of Architects of Mexico City, saw the participation of Legislator Miriam Saldaña Cháirez, president of the aforementioned commission. Alongside academics, specialists, and civil society representatives, Saldaña Cháirez emphasized the need for an integrated environmental agenda to recover urban rivers, highlighting their significance for well-being, identity, sustainability, and quality of life.
During the forum’s inauguration, the PT party legislator underscored the importance of such platforms in raising awareness about the capital’s rivers, their societal impact, and the challenges they face. “With all the rivers we have in the ravines of the western part of the city, we can have enough water for the entire Valley of Mexico. However, we must also heed the UN’s Agenda 2030, which demands a circular water economy,” Saldaña Cháirez stated, emphasizing the crucial role of these ravines in aquifer recharge.
Historical Significance and Urban Challenges
Diana María Pérez Molero, Vice President of CAMSAM, highlighted the historical, identity, and collective memory embedded within the city’s rivers. She stressed that urban growth and environmental challenges necessitate responsible reflection and action to restore these invaluable resources.
Fernanda Lonardoni, Head of the UN-Habitat Program for Mesoamerica and Latin America, echoed this sentiment, noting that these waterways historically connected ecosystems, communities, and ways of life. She asserted that their recovery presents an opportunity to build more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities.
Juan Carlos Lavalle Guízar, Secretary of the Chamber of the Construction Industry, CDMX Section, attributed the water problem to an urban planning concept that sought to distance the resource, leading to the piping of rivers. He advocated for their rescue through engineering works, technology, and inter-sectoral collaboration.
International Perspectives and Local Initiatives
In a keynote address delivered via video conference, Blanca Elena Jiménez Cisneros, Mexico’s Ambassador to France and Monaco, discussed the critical importance of water pollution control and the preservation of ecosystem services for human health, economic growth, and social development.
Pedro Díaz de la Vega, representing the Álvaro Obregón borough, reported on a diagnostic study that led to the creation of a university cluster. This cluster, comprising public and private institutions and specialized organizations, aims to develop projects related to urbanism, architecture, and water management.
The forum also featured three keynote conferences and various panels with specialists. These sessions initiated the development of a diagnostic report on urban rivers, with Eduardo de Luna, a representative of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry, serving as rapporteur.
Additional topics discussed included the piping and loss of river courses, pollution and wastewater management, hydrological risks, and climate change.
Collaborative Efforts for a Sustainable Future
The event was organized through the collaborative efforts of several key institutions, including the capital’s Secretariat of Environment, the Álvaro Obregón borough, UN-Habitat, the Institute of Engineering and the Institute of Geography (both from the National Autonomous University of Mexico), the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry CDMX, the College of Urban Planners of Mexico, the Mexican Hydraulic Association, and the College of Civil Engineers of Mexico.
The forum’s outcomes are expected to contribute significantly to the ongoing efforts to restore Mexico City’s urban rivers, fostering a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future for the metropolis.
