City Overview

Campeche is the capital city of Campeche State, which is one of the most populated municipality. 75% of the total population in the Municipality of Campeche live in urban areas along the coast and the rest live in rural areas. Campeche’s city center was declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1999. The city of Campeche is an example of urbanization in a baroque colonial city, reflecting the main role that it played as a commercial, religious and military connection point. Campeche’s proximity to the ocean, the intense rainy season, and its relatively low altitude make flooding a common occurrence in the city, which affects not only the local population but also increases the water pollution levels in the Bay as overflowing sewage finds its way into the Bay. In particular, the city of Campeche currently also faces important challenges in its water and sanitation sector. The aquifer that provides the city with water is under high risk of pollution mainly because it is unconfined and approximately 85% of households discharge their wastewater into septic tanks without any treatment, contributing to the pollution of the aquifer and ultimately to the Campeche Bay. Additionally, the city’s water distribution system operates inefficiently due to: (i) infrastructure that is no longer operational; (ii) the high levels of water hardness that affect the water measuring equipment; and (iii) the unplanned expansion of the city’s water network over time. The SCIAP project in Campeche will focus on the clean-up of the Campeche Bay, Mexico’s second largest bay. The GPSC will support the enhancement of integrated urban management policies and action planning developed through ESC at the local level.