Municipal pumping station failure caused Los Reyes Ixtacala flood, says Conagua

The recent flooding in Los Reyes Ixtacala on June 27 was caused by malfunctions at the municipal INDECO pumping station, not by the Río de los Remedios, according to Mexico's National Water Commission (Conagua). Abraham González Ramírez, sub-manager of Operation for the Water Valley of Mexico Basin Organism at Conagua, explained that the Tlalnepantla operator reported problems with the INDECO station's electrical supply, including a faulty transformer. Additionally, the pumping equipment experienced issues, and the absence of essential check valves meant that water could not be prevented from flowing backward, leading to saturation.

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The Tlalnepantla operator reported to Conagua that they had problems with the INDECO pumping station due to a failure in the electrical supply, which resulted in problems with their transformer. They also had issues with their pumping equipment at the INDECO pumping station; these units should have a check or butterfly valve to prevent backflow. Since they were not functioning or lacked the valves, the water began to saturate them.

Following the report, Conagua personnel intervened to lower the water levels in the Río de los Remedios and assisted in the contingency response. González Ramírez asserted that the river's channel did not overflow in the vicinity of the incident. He pointed to historical data showing that the river has previously managed water levels and flows equal to or exceeding those on June 27 without causing similar problems at the pumping station. "In 2025, this channel operated for more than 60 days with levels and flows higher than those recorded on June 27 without any record of affectations in that area," he stated.

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In 2025, this channel operated for more than 60 days with levels and flows higher than those recorded on June 27 without any record of affectations in that area.

The Río de los Remedios operates as part of a coordinated system involving Conagua, the Mexico City Secretariat of Integral Water Management, and the State Water Commission of Mexico (CAEM). This system utilizes a protocol to manage water flow through regulatory basins and gates. The protocol is designed to reduce the river's flow to approximately 30 cubic meters per second, well below the channel's capacity of 80 cubic meters per second. Conagua confirmed that this operational protocol was activated 19 times up to July 13, with 13 of those activations occurring in June. Regarding maintenance of the enclosed section of the river, Conagua has been coordinating with the concessionaire, Viabilis Infraestructura SA de CV, for two years, and desilting work has been ongoing since the second half of 2025, with over 2,100 tons of debris removed.

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We have considered the report that more than 2,100 tons of garbage have been removed from the enclosed section of the Río de los Remedios.