The Treasury Department delays the start date of stormwater drainage projects in Torreón.

The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit has modified the start date for the investment phase of construction of the Torreón Comprehensive Storm Drainage System to March 2026, while local authorities and federal legislators assure that everything necessary is being done to complete the remaining studies and to allocate the nearly 500 million pesos projected in this year's Federal Expenditure Budget (PEF).

According to the status of the project before this federal government agency, 03/2026 is indicated as the start date for the investment stage, with an end date of 12/2028, which would imply a further delay in addressing one of the city's primary infrastructure needs.

The project in question, registered with portfolio code number 23116B000002 with the Ministry of Finance since 2023, is planned to be executed in three stages, one per year, with the following budget amounts: 846 million 846 thousand 990 pesos in 2026; 521 million 051 thousand 442 pesos in 2027 and 491 million 279 thousand 733 pesos the last year, 2028. This makes a Total investment of 1,859 million 178 thousand 165 pesos, VAT included.

According to the latest update, the budget cost of the Investment Project Program (PPI) would total 2 billion 249 million 532 thousand 342 pesos, since in addition to the amounts from financing sources indicated, the maintenance and operating expenses that it would generate over 25 years, amounting to 390 million 354 thousand 177 pesos, are considered.

This represents a five percent increase over what was planned at the end of last year, when the total cost of providing Torreón with a stormwater drainage system that would benefit 380,000 residents was estimated at 2 billion 157 million 782 thousand 357.

It should be remembered that in the PEF 2025 , it appears under the concept of Economic Infrastructure Investment Project in the list of projects of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources , with an investment of 491 million 279 thousand 733 pesos, the same amount that is expected to be spent in the Treasury Department's update, but in 2028.

That same document includes the figure of one billion 367 million 898 thousand 432 pesos in the column of federal investment from "previous years" , despite the fact that at no time did the Federation allocate resources, as stated by the mayor, Román Alberto Cepeda , who categorically denied that said funds had been received.

Given that the amount considered for this year does not have sufficient budget, authorities indicated that efforts are ongoing to ensure that the nearly 500 million euros are allocated to a first phase of the works before the end of 2025, indicated the Municipality's Director of Public Works, Juan Adolfo Von Bertrab Saracho.

According to data provided by the business organization Fomento Económico de La Laguna (Fomec), which is leading the initiative for this project, the environmental and legal feasibility has been resolved at 95 percent, while the economic and technical feasibility is at 100 percent.

Federal Representative Verónica Martínez García confirmed that in the coordination meeting held a few days ago with the Conagua representative in the region, Gabriel Riestra, and state and municipal authorities, it was agreed to update the 2023-2025 annual investment table that had been considered to the 2026-2028 period.

"No funds will be allocated until the project is 100 percent complete, and that's what we're working on," said the legislator, after indicating that she is leading efforts with Fonadin (National Fund for the Promotion of Development) to try to fund the necessary studies, in addition to contributions from the state and municipal governments.

The project consists of 17 works validated by Conagua that make up the stormwater drainage system for the southeastern part of the city, divided into five strategic zones identified as South, Fuentes-La Merced, Mieleras, Zaragoza and Ciudad Nazas-La Joya, comprising a network of interceptors, collectors, emitters and stormwater collection structures, pumping sumps and electromechanical equipment.

This involves the construction of 23 kilometers of storm drains with diameters ranging from 24 to 72 inches; 9.8 kilometers of pressure lines ranging from 12 to 30 inches in diameter; another 9.4 kilometers of canals; in addition to the adaptation of green areas for use as buffer ponds, in the form of sunken parks, to regulate a volume of 500,000 cubic meters; and the construction of stormwater pumping stations.