Dozens of motorists were forced to abandon their submerged vehicles as overworked drains, unable to cope with the deluge, overflowed, causing water levels on some streets to rise as high as 1.50 meters.
Several traffic tunnels flooded out and became unpassable during the flash storm. Worst affected were the tunnels at Mariano Otero and Lazaro Cardenas and Federalismo and Washington, where water levels rose to 1.20 meters. Sections of the Calzada Independencia were cut off by rising waters and the BRT Macrobus route was suspended for a short period.Other zones parts of the city that reported heavy flooding included the area around the (yellow) Millennium Arches, the Aabastos wholesale market and Plaza del Sol.
Most Tapatios are resigned to the annual inundations that gridlock the city during the rainy season. Few hold out any hope that the Intermunicipal Water Authority (Siapa) will improve the situation in the near future. The agency admits the metro area’s drainage system is woefully outdated, estimating that at least 25 percent of the 7, 400-kilometer system needs to be replaced. Perennially strapped for cash, Siapa is barely able to meet its maintenance obligations. Officials say millions of pesos owed by customers, including many public institutions, ties their hands when it comes to new infrastructure projects.