• Menu
  • Menu
  • Business
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print+Digital (Bundle) ePaper subscription
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print+Digital (Bundle)
ePaper subscription
Trending
UAE holidays 2023 Golf in UAE
  • Latest News
  • UAE Success Stories
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Weather
    • Ask the Law
    • Reader Complaint
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
    • Videos
  • Friday
    • Beauty
    • Wellbeing
    • Art & People
    • Home
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Spell It
    • Play
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
      • Games
    • Mena
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Coronavirus
    • Special Reports
    • Corrections
    • 2022 in review
  • Opinion
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • From the Editors
  • Play Games
  • Qatar World Cup 2022
    • News & Views
    • Travel
    • Teams
    • Players to Watch
    • Match Centre
  • Magical Dubai
    • Dubai Life
    • Live the Luxury
    • Culture and History
    • Adventure
    • Staying Connected
  • Special Reports
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Gujarat
        • Lucknow
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
      • T20 World Cup 2022
    • Motorsport
    • Football
      • Qatar World Cup 2022
    • Tennis
    • Rugby
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Expo 2020
  • Going Out
  • Auto
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
    • Community
    • Fashion
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
    • Gaming
    • Media
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
    • Technology
  • Travel
  • GN Focus
    • Special Features
  • Mind Your Migraine
  • 50 MENA Leaders
  • The Kurator
    • Share
    • Dare
    • Flair
  • Bayat Chapters
  • Gold-Forex
  • Gratuity Calculator
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • GN Store
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • Printing Services
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
    Trees, birds, ponds: Mexico City's ancient lake reclaims scrapped airport

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Sunday, February 5, 2023
    Gold / Forex

    Photos Business

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    Trees, birds, ponds: Mexico City's ancient lake reclaims scrapped airport

    Officials let nature take over in their bid to transform an ancient lake into a giant park


    Published:  September 12, 2020 07:49 Reuters  and  compiled by Balaram Menon, Senior Web Editor

    1 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194257Z_1730360791_RC2VTI95VML0_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881498203
    Bright green stalks of weeds are sprouting from the ground where planes were supposed to take off at a new Mexico City airport as officials let nature take over in their bid to transform the marshy swath of an ancient lake into a giant park. | Above: A general view shows parts of flight terminal on abandoned construction of the Mexico City airport that was scrapped two years ago is now flooded by summer rains, in Texcoco. Image Credit: REUTERS
    2 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194310Z_1908580639_RC2VTI9LR89L_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881503020
    The ghostly skeletons of a partly built control tower and flight terminal are recognizably in the style of Norman Foster, the British architect commissioned by Mexico's last president to build a futuristic international airport at a cost of some $13 billion on 4,800 hectares just east of the capital. Image Credit: REUTERS
    3 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194625Z_1167317243_RC2VTI96DCCN_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881512794
    Upon taking office in December 2018, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador axed the project, citing the results of an informal referendum, after arguing it would be costly to prevent sinking on the waterlogged soil. Image Credit: REUTERS
    4 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194309Z_1552111482_RC2VTI9N47S9_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881500454
    Instead of the slick design from Foster, whose award-winning glass and steel web-like buildings dot the globe, Lopez Obrador opted to expand an existing military airport. Image Credit: REUTERS
    5 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194245Z_614412614_RC2VTI9XBITX_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881493206
    The abandoned construction zone is now part of a project to conserve 12,200 hectares of marsh on what was once massive Lake Texcoco before Spanish colonizers in the 1600s began draining the water to prevent flooding in their burgeoning settlement. Image Credit: REUTERS
    6 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194320Z_526358883_RC2VTI917Y45_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881505831
    About half that area is slated for public use, including sports and events space - more than twice the size of New York's Central Park. Image Credit: REUTERS
    7 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194652Z_1343281011_RC2VTI9IUHLC_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881486628
    Architect I".O+/-aki Echeverria, who is overseeing the project, aims to open a portion of the park by March next year and offer full access by 2024. "The restoration began the moment the construction stopped. This shows nature's incredible resiliency," he said. Image Credit: REUTERS
    8 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T210704Z_208704496_RC2XTI990EMQ_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881468149
    Officials point to recent flooding as proof that maintenance would have been difficult, and say less than 20% of construction was completed. They paid some 13 billion pesos ($603 million) to cancel more than 600 contracts left in limbo. Image Credit: REUTERS
    9 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T205038Z_1282291885_RC2WTI9MFNNY_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881476564
    During a visit last week, a moat of green water had risen around a flying-saucer-like building where a control tower juts 20 meters (66 ft) high, less than a third of its intended height. Image Credit: REUTERS
    10 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T210732Z_670489746_RC2XTI9EXDE9_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881471500
    Birds glided in a pond beneath columns of crisscrossing steel bars that were meant to become a terminal greeting some 70 million passengers a year. The steel will be sold as scrap. Image Credit: REUTERS
    11 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194627Z_1667636163_RC2VTI9B80TV_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881516499
    Conservation efforts in the area date to the 1970s, when the government grappled to contain dust storms that swept from the dry lake basin over Mexico City. Image Credit: REUTERS
    12 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194650Z_295001886_RC2VTI9FQOZ0_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881490603
    The current project has been hailed by Lopez Obrador as a "new Tenochtitlan," referring to the centuries-old Aztec capital built in the middle of a sprawling lake, where Mexico City is today. Image Credit: REUTERS
    13 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194624Z_2106005016_RC2VTI90PRAQ_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881509318
    Part of Echeverria's work is convincing city-dwellers that the wetlands are worth visiting. "People who think there's nothing there, don't know it well," he said. Image Credit: REUTERS
    14 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T204728Z_1907123268_RC2WTI94PN8F_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881474352
    A general view shows parts of the structure of the flight terminal at an abandoned construction site of a Mexico City airport . Image Credit: REUTERS
    15 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194731Z_1554820258_RC2VTI9ZMTSG_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881482034
    A general view shows part of the Lake Texcoco in an area near the canceled airport zone that is part a project to conserve 12,200 hectares of land in Texcoco. Image Credit: REUTERS
    16 of 16
    Copy of 2020-09-07T194246Z_372070377_RC2VTI94HT1I_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-AIRPORT-LAKE-1599881495887
    A general view shows parts of the structure of a control tower at an abandoned construction site of a Mexico City airport. Image Credit: REUTERS

    Trending

    • Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is India’s Tom Cruise?

      Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is India’s Tom Cruise?

    Latest In

    • Crash averted at US airport; authorities to investigate

      36 minutes ago

    • US fighter jet shoots down spy balloon


    • US authorities on Saturday closed down 3 airports


    • Capitals eager to grab chance with both hands


    • Look: Why were these news stories trending?


    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Friday
    • Watch Time
    • getthat
    • Jobs
    • GN Store
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    • Printing Services
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or