Background and Relevance
Over the past 25 years, five municipalities in the State of Mexico have experienced the highest number of disaster declarations related to flooding, accumulating over 1.4 billion pesos in damages according to the National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred).
Key Municipalities and Damages
The municipalities most affected are Ecatepec de Morelos and Nezahualcóyotl, each with nine declarations; followed by Ixtapaluca and Chalco with eight; and Valle de Chalco Solidaridad with seven. The total damages from 2000 to 2023 amounted to 1,434.95 million pesos.
- Chalco led with 738.38 million pesos in damages.
- Nezahualcóyotl followed with 509.58 million pesos.
- Valle de Chalco had 180.04 million pesos in damages.
- Ixtapaluca reported 5.12 million pesos in damages.
- Ecatepec had 1.84 million pesos in damages.
Notably, 735.53 million pesos were allocated in 2010 for Chalco, Valle de Chalco, Ecatepec, and Nezahualcóyotl due to intense rains causing flooding in some municipios of the conurbation.
In 2011, 509.02 million pesos were directed to Nezahualcóyotl and Ecatepec after heavy rains caused the overflow of the Bordo de Xochiaca, flooding streets in El Sol colonia and important vialities in Nezahualcóyotl.
Recent Flooding Trends
According to the State of Mexico’s Flood Atlas, from 2020 to 2024, Ecatepec recorded the highest number of flood cases with an average of 27 sites inundated annually, followed by Ixtapaluca with six and Chalco with nine. Valle de Chalco Solidaridad had four, and Nezahualcóyotl had five.
- Ecatepec experienced the most colonia affected annually, averaging 22.
- Chalco followed with nine affected colonias annually.
- Ixtapaluca had seven colonia affected annually.
Population and Housing Impact
If considering the number of displaced people, Chalco has the highest figure, with an average of 3,033 people affected annually. Ixtapaluca followed with 2,895 and Nezahualcóyotl with 1,018.
- Chalco averaged 886 houses affected annually.
- Ixtapaluca averaged 458 houses affected annually.
- Nezahualcóyotl averaged 184 houses affected annually.
Annual Flooding Incidents
After the previously mentioned municipalities, Cenapred’s list of disaster declarations, emergencies, and climatic contingencies for the last 25 years includes Amecameca, Acolman, Nopaltepec, Otumba, and Tequixquiac with six declarations each; Texcoco, Tlalnepantla, Tultitlán, Temamatla, Temascalapa, Hueypoxtla, Apaxco, and Axapusco with five each.
From 2018 to 2024, an average of 33 municipalities experienced flooding annually in the State of Mexico. The year with the most incidents was 2021, with 48; and the fewest were in 2020, with five.
Regional Impact
The State of Mexico region most affected by flooding is the Valley of Mexico, where 20 municipalities experience flooding annually. In 2021, there were issues in 28 municipalities; in 2022, it was 22.
In 2024, there were 98 flood incidents affecting 34 municipalities. Of these, 77 were from the Valley of Mexico, 26 from the Lerma River basin, and six from the Balsas River basin.
- Approximately 24,000 people were affected.
- 3,328 homes were impacted.
- 210 commercial establishments suffered damages.
- 21 industries were affected.
- Eight public buildings were impacted.
- 18 other structures were affected.
Ecatepec was the most impacted, with flooding occurring 17 times. Metepec and Naucalpan followed with eight incidents each; Calimaya and Chalco had six, and Atlacomulco and Valle de Chalco Solidaridad experienced four.
