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Mexico City's Water Supply Improving the Outlook for Sustainability (1995) / Chapter Skim
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2 The Mexico City Metropolitan Area
Pages 4-7

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From page 4...
... Rapid growth over the past 50 years has been characterized both by planned urban and residential areas for the middle and upper class, and by unplanned and illegal land appropriations by immigrants to the peripheral areas. Over time, government authorities have intervened in these irregular settlements to supply urban services, including water supply; although, the services remain inadequate for long periods of time.
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From page 5...
... \ ~uajimalpa~\~/V A\ \ _| //Magdalene ~ \> ~ Chalco ~ Xochimilc~ a`` 1/ Ixtapaluca FIGURE 2-1 The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) is composed of the entire Federal District (with 16 counties)
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From page 6...
... For the purposes of this study, the metropolitan area is known as the Mexico City Metropolitan Area or MCMA, and the political subdivisions of both jurisdictions will be referred to as counties (Figure 2-1~. With an area of 37773 square kilometers, the Mexico City Metropolitan Area is one of the largest and most rapidly growing urban centers in the world.
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From page 7...
... The location of the city on an old saline lake bed and the absence of natural drainage from the valley, combined with a seasonally intense rainfall pattern, have led to difficulty in managing storm runoff. There are no large surface water sources nearby that can be used conjunctively with the local ground water source, and the high elevation of the valley makes water importation an expensive alternative.
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Key Terms

  • federal district
  • city metropolitan
  • irregular settlements
  • north central
  • entire federal

  • sea level
  • natural drainage
  • resource planning
  • water importation
  • urban population

  • past decades
  • including water
  • political jurisdictions
  • remain inadequate
  • water sources

  • urban services
  • urban centers
  • volcanic origin
  • larger metropolitan
  • water supply

  • sources nearby
  • growing urban
  • valley makes
  • political subdivisions
  • supply urban

  • naturally closed
  • traditionally associated
  • government offices
  • major political
  • neighboring state


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