Water crisis looms as the flood-prone city depletes its groundwater.
In the 1300s, the Aztecs built the beginnings of Mexico City on an island surrounded by lakes.
Today, flooding remains a risk.
Mexico City sits on clay lake beds in the mountains, a mile and a half above sea level.
As the city’s population grows, Mexico City is forced to drill deeper for water and there is never enough.
The excessive drilling led to another problem –Mexico City is slowly sinking into the earth, collapsing on itself.
“We line up at 3 in the morning for the pipa [water truck].
(The New York Times) 40 percent Proportion of Mexico City’s water that is piped in from remote sources.
(The New York Times) 9 inches Amount that the ground underneath parts of Mexico City sinks per year, according to data from late 2014 and early 2015.
Resources And Further Reading A failed vision – Mexico’s Housing Debacle (Los Angeles Times) In Mexico City Mud, Pena Nieto’s $13 Billion Airport Project Bogs Down (Bloomberg) Mexico City hit hard by water shortages (Al Jazeera) Mexico City, Parched and Sinking, Faces a Water Crisis (The New York Times)Mexico City’s water crisis – from source to sewer (The Guardian) The 11 cities most likely to run out of drinking water – like Cape Town (BBC)