Advanced Methods for the Assessment of the

Seismic Vulnerability, Risk and Resilience of Water

Systems and their Application to the Distribution
Networks of Two Municipalities of Mexico City
A Gustavo Ayala and Marco A Escamilla
Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, MEXICO
Feb 7, 2022
Outline

• Problem definition
• Background
• Presentation aim
• Damage to water networks after the S09-2017 EQ. in Mexico
• Seismic scenario
• Seismic vulnerability curves
• Functionality of drinking water supply
• Conclusions
Problem definition
1524

Mexico City

1806 2021
Problem definition

e.g., Earthquake S09-2017

Problem definition
2017
Problem definition

e.g., earthquake S09-

2017
Background
Presentation aim
To describe the procedure used and the results obtained from an evaluation of the seismic
vulnerability of the water system of the Tláhuac and Xochimilco municipalities considering
as main variables an index of service capacity given in terms of the number of failures (leaks
per km), probability of failure, the serviceability and the seismic resilience.
Background
Water networks damage after the S09-2017 EQ. in Mexico
Damage to water networks after the S09-2017 EQ. in Mexico

Asbestos-cement
Concrete

Steel
Seismic scenario

Maps of seismic intensity measures and location of leaks for the S19 2017 earthquake
Seismic vulnerability curves
Seismic vulnerability curves
Seismic vulnerability curves
Seismic vulnerability curves
0.6

0.5
Leak probability
0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1 Primary
Red network
primaria
Red secundaria
Secondary network
0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Particle velocity cm/s
ALA (2001)
Functionality of drinking water supply
Functionality of drinking water supply
Aqueducts
Chalco Xochimilco and Xochimilco

Functionality (%)

Functionality (%)
Time (days) Time (days)

33 days 11 days

Methodology: Risk Analysis and Management for Critical Asset Protection (RAMCAP®) Standard for Risk
and Resilience Management of Water and Wastewater Systems
Functionality of drinking water supply
Secondary water network
Xochimilco

Functionality (%)
Functionality (%)

Time (days) Time (days)

17 days 6 days

Methodology: Risk Analysis and Management for Critical Asset Protection (RAMCAP®) Standard for Risk
and Resilience Management of Water and Wastewater Systems
Conclusions
 
1. The characteristics of the S19 2017 EQ and the local soil conditions particularly in the Lake zone of Metropolitan Mexico City
caused widespread damage to the water systems with approximately 3.3 million inhabitants left without water after the earthquake.
2. Outage was mainly attributed to the damage caused by the propagation of seismic waves in pipes buried in subsiding areas and to
the collateral effects of electricity interruptions both with characteristics similar to those observed after the 1985 EQ. Components
such as tanks, pumping stations, and water treatment facilities were not significantly damaged with a minor effect on the outage.
3. As with the 1985 EQ, most damage occurred in soft ground conditions in four municipalities of CDMX mainly in segmented
pipelines in aqueducts and the water network and in the continuous steel pipeline in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl with damage attributed
to the predominance of surface waves with large peak ground velocities.
4. Damage in segmented pipelines buried in soft ground, occurred at joints due to their inability to accommodate the demands of axial
and rotational displacements induced by the earthquake. The leaks mainly occurred near fittings, elbows, junction boxes, or other
rigid points. A factor that likely contributed to this damage was existing subsidence which reduced the capacity of the joints to
absorb the earthquake induced deformations.
5. Damage documentation was not detailed or simply nonexistent. However, analyses carried out by the authors, indicated that the
damage was greater at soft soil areas and significantly less in the areas of stiffer soils. In the affected areas, the damage ratio in
leaks/km for the primary supply and distribution pipes (20" and more) ranged from approximately 0.2 to 0.4.
6. Significant damage to large diameter segmented, prestressed concrete buried aqueducts in the Southeast of CDMX was attributed to
large local variations in ground motion due to changes in topographic or soil conditions
7. Damage was also extensive in small diameter asbestos-cement and concrete pipes. An important observation regarding the leaks in
these pipes is that damage generally occurred near service connections where brittle pipe components were damaged.
Thank you!

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