León entered the rainy season with an intervention that, in scale, is better understood on the road: 1,300 kilometers of sanitary and stormwater networks cleaned, equivalent to a trip from León to San Cristóbal de las Casas. The data is not just a number. These are simple but key actions to ensure the stormwater system functions and the city does not collapse when it rains. In León, the difference is measured in kilometers. And this year, those kilometers are already being worked on. This is in addition to more than 100 kilometers of creek cleaning since 2022, a distance comparable to the route from León to Celaya, according to data presented by municipal authorities. The strategy targets the essential: to ensure water flows. To this end, SAPAL has also intervened in more than 12,000 storm drains and grates at points historically prone to flooding, reinforcing the capacity to respond to heavy rains. The deployment is permanent, municipal authorities assured during a press conference to present the actions before the imminent rainy season. More than 30 crews work on desilting and maintenance tasks before, during, and after the season, following a logic that seeks to anticipate the problem, not react when it has already occurred. The move has context. In recent years, the city has faced saturation of the stormwater system, so these actions aim to reduce risks in colonies where water tends to accumulate. Although infrastructure is being strengthened, the behavior of rains—increasingly intense in less time—requires these works to be continuous. At the individual level, prevention also counts. They also recommend keeping sidewalks and nearby drains clean, avoiding disposing of waste on rainy days, not attempting to cross water currents, and staying informed through official channels. Authorities ask the population not to throw trash on the streets or into sewers, as waste is one of the main causes of blockages that lead to flooding.
