Panama City

Panama City’s Resilience Journey

Panama City has seen tremendous growth in recent years, which has strained its urban infrastructure, especially its infrastructure related to potable water supplies.

The city’s main sources of water for human consumption, the Gatam and Alajuela lakes, are under pressure from population growth and climate change. Due to the lakes’ use as reserves for the Panama Canal, their decline would have critical economic consequences for the city as well. The administration of the water collection basins by the Panama Canal Authority, the country’s most efficient management organization, guarantees that continued efforts will be made to address these growing challenges.

Panama City has a network of natural drainage systems that have been seriously impacted by urban development. Flooding terraces and watersheds are being compromised to make room for new developments, while the combined storm drain and sanitation system is over capacity due to lack of maintenance and development. As a result, there is increased incidence of intense flooding events that can bring the city to a standstill, impacting transportation networks, communication infrastructure, and commerce.