Every home in Mexico City will have water service in six years’ time, a goal that is one of several in an ambitious new environmental plan presented yesterday by Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.
She presented the CDMX 2019-2024 Environmental Program at an event to mark World Environment Day.
“Environmental issues are getting more and more relevant,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s because of degradation of the environment, which isn’t just happening in our country, but also around the world. A lot of the problems we have here, like air and river pollution, have been overcome in many other cities.”
The program will use an investment of 145 billion pesos (US $7.4 billion) over the next six years to reach a variety of environmental goals by the end of Sheinbaum’s term in 2024. The goals include reducing air pollution by 30% and planting 15 million trees around the city.
As part of working to improve water management issues, Sheinbaum also plans to rescue several of the city’s rivers.
“In the last 50 years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to building pipes around the water that flows through our city,” she said. “But now, we want to rescue the rivers that are still alive.”
She said work will be done on various rivers, including the Magdalena and San Buenaventura and the National Canal. Also, 50 wells in the eastern part of the city will be closed to reduce pressure on the aquifer.
Other goals include:
• Reducing the amount of solid waste by banning single-use plastics and promoting recycling. To help reach the goal of recycling 3,200 tonnes of waste per day, a new waste separation plant will be built in Azcapotzalco.
• Providing water service to every home. Between 20% and 30% of residents do not enjoy daily delivery of potable water.
• Improving public transit with the construction of 100 kilometers of corridors for the exclusive use of transit vehicles, four more Cablebús lines and four more for the Metrobús system.
• Constructing and installing solar water heaters and solar panels.
Sheinbaum said she hopes to leave Mexico City with six rivers, two bodies of water, 12 urban parks and forests when her term ends.
“We want the city we have in early June to be a different city by December of this year,” said Sheinbaum. “It’s a short-term goal, but we’re also thinking in the long term.”
