NASA Satellite Shows Mexico City Sinking 9.5 Inches — Water Crisis Mexico City Sinking
New water crisis mexico city sinking measurements from NASA show Mexico City is dropping nearly 10 inches a year, with some areas subsiding at about 0.78 inches a month. The city’s sinking is already damaging the subway, drainage system, potable water system, housing and streets, according to Enrique Cabral.
Cabral, a researcher studying geophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said, “It damages part of the critical infrastructure of Mexico City, such as the subway, the drainage system, the water, the potable water system, housing and streets.” He added, “We have one of the fastest velocities of land subsidence in the whole world.”
NASA NISAR measurements
The new estimates come from measurements taken by the NISAR satellite between October 2025 and January 2026, released this week by NASA. Paul Rosen said the project is “telling us something about what's actually happening below the surface,” and added, “It's basically documentation of all of these changes within a city.”
NASA’s report puts the yearly sinking rate at about 9.5 inches, or 24 centimeters, and says the fastest areas are subsiding at about 0.78 inches, or 2 centimeters, a month. Rosen also said, “You can see the full magnitude of the problem.”
Mexico City built on a lake bed
Mexico City and the surrounding cities were built atop an ancient lake bed, and extensive groundwater pumping and urban development have shrunk the aquifer. The capital and surrounding area cover about 3,000 square miles, or 7,800 square kilometers, and hold some 22 million people.
The sinking has been underway for more than a century, and Cabral said the drop has been more than 39 feet, or 12 meters, over less than a century. The Metropolitan Cathedral has visibly tilted to the side, a sign of how long the ground has been moving beneath older parts of the city.
Airport and Angel of Independence
NASA’s report cites the main airport and the Angel of Independence as places where subsidence is occurring at about 0.78 inches a month. That rate leaves infrastructure in parts of the city exposed to continuing damage while the aquifer keeps contracting.
Cabral’s description points to the practical problem for residents and commuters: a city of 22 million people depends on systems that are already being affected, and the newest satellite measurements give planners a sharper map of where the ground is moving fastest.
