Hydraulic projects cut rain damage in Magdalena Contreras by 96%, Brugada says

Four water-management projects in Mexico City’s Magdalena Contreras district have reduced the damage caused by rain by 96% compared with last year, according to Mayor Clara Brugada. The reduction came despite higher rainfall recorded during 2026.

Brugada inspected the works in Lomas Quebradas, including a reinforced-concrete retaining wall and a new stormwater conveyance system. The wall is designed to contain water from the La Coyotera ravine and reduce the force reaching lower-lying areas. The channel system will use 40 concrete sections and can carry more than 11,000 liters of water per second, equivalent to about 48 million liters an hour.

At Plaza Lídice, workers built a collection chamber and a new collector to receive rainwater and carry it away from streets, sidewalks, and homes. Another project rehabilitated the Río Magdalena treatment plant and pumping station, doubling its capacity from 25 to 50 liters per second.

The four projects form part of an integrated strategy to contain, collect, channel, and treat rainwater. Brugada said the remaining work would finish by the end of October. She also highlighted the treatment plant in San Nicolás Totolapan, which is operated entirely by women and treats water from the Magdalena and Eslava rivers.

“Mexico City must address the places that suffered damage from the rains,” Brugada said. “So we got to work and decided to build the infrastructure needed to solve the flooding in places that had been heavily affected.”

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Mexico City must address the places that suffered damage from the rains. So we got to work and decided to build the infrastructure needed to solve the flooding in places that had been heavily affected.