Vegetated Drainage Ditches in Mexico. A Case Study in Mazatlan, Sinaloa

Abstract

Urban and agricultural drainage ditches (DD) are important structures for the drainage of runoff. While agricultural DD remove the excess of irrigation water to lowlands areas, urban DD prevent the damage of civilian infrastructure caused by stormwater runoff. The drainage ditches in Mexico are generally unattended sites, where all type of waste is deposited. Moreover, they can be receiving bodies of clandestine domestic or industrial wastewater, which could contaminate the adjacent environment. The abandonment of urban and agricultural DD deteriorates the landscape and cause water contamination which could be derived in public health problems. This chapter presents a review of the current scenario of agricultural and urban DD in Mexico. The importance of these sites, as well as the associated environmental problems, is described. Finally, the vegetated urban and agricultural drainage ditches are presented, and their potential in the mitigation of environmental pollution and the improvement of the agricultural and urban landscape are discussed.