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WaterSeverity: Critical

Subsidence and water stress in Mexico City

Pumping from the aquifer beneath a former lake bed causes some of the fastest urban subsidence in the world, while supply remains unreliable.

Mexico City · Mexico

01 · The problem

What is happening

Mexico City was built on the bed of Lake Texcoco. Heavy extraction from the underlying aquifer, which supplies a large share of the city's water, has caused the soft clay to compact, and parts of the city are sinking rapidly, as documented by satellite radar studies. Subsidence damages pipes, buildings and drainage, increasing leaks and flooding. The city also imports water from the Cutzamala System, whose reservoirs fell to very low levels during recent droughts, leading to supply restrictions.

Critical severity. Severe, persistent harm to health, ecosystems or livelihoods. Severity is descriptive editorial metadata summarising documented effects. It is not a measured index or a score.

02 · Causes

Why it is happening

  1. 01

    Aquifer over-extraction

    Pumping greatly exceeds natural recharge.

  2. 02

    Lacustrine clay soils

    Compressible former lake sediments compact as water is removed.

  3. 03

    Leaky distribution network

    Subsidence damages pipes, and a large share of water is lost to leaks.

  4. 04

    Drought

    Low rainfall reduces storage in the Cutzamala reservoirs.

03 · Impacts

Who and what it affects

  1. 01

    Infrastructure damage

    Buildings, the metro and drainage systems are damaged by uneven sinking.

  2. 02

    Flooding

    Subsidence reverses drainage gradients, making flooding worse.

  3. 03

    Unequal water access

    Some neighbourhoods rely on intermittent supply and water trucks.

04 · Solutions

Documented approaches

  1. Leak reduction

    Sectorising the network and repairing leaks.

    Expected effectMakes more water available without additional extraction.

  2. Rainwater harvesting

    Programmes installing rainwater systems in homes.

    Expected effectSupplements supply during the rainy season.

  3. Aquifer recharge and wastewater reuse

    Treating wastewater and recharging the aquifer.

    Expected effectCould slow depletion and subsidence over time.

Explore an illustrative What-If

05 · Key indicators

What can be measured

No reliable quantitative indicator is included for this issue. TerraLens shows figures only where a credible source supports them — consult the sources below for current data.

06 · Sources

Where this comes from

  1. [1]Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA)Government of Mexicogob.mx(opens in a new tab)
  2. [2]Secretaría del Medio Ambiente de la Ciudad de MéxicoGobierno de la Ciudad de Méxicosedema.cdmx.gob.mx(opens in a new tab)

Links open the publishing organisation's site. Some point to the publisher's main page, where the named report or dataset can be found.

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