Wallingford, UK -- 16 April 2003 - Mexico's national water authority, the Comisión Nacional del Agua (CNA), is embarking on a major modeling project that is expected to enhance significantly the country's ability to anticipate serious river flooding. To support this project, the CNA is investing in multiple copies of InfoWorks RS, the river system modeling package from Wallingford Software, a hydraulic modeling software company.
Few countries have suffered so dramatically from horrendous flooding as Mexico. The floods of 1998 and 1999 cost hundreds of lives and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Each Fall as the hurricane season starts and the rainy season begins, people fear a repeat experience. The impact on Mexico is evident in deaths by drowning, ruined lives, devastated crops and a damaged economy. The financial cost runs into hundred of millions of dollars.
Now, the country's water authority, the Comisión Nacional del Agua (CNA), is about to embark on a new project that will result in the government being better able to advise local people who live in high risk areas. Although there is some evidence that changing land use has contributed to an increase in flooding, the nature of Mexico's river structure creates a natural vulnerability to flooding. Predicting with greater accuracy the effect and timing of a rise in river levels after rainfall could save many lives.
It is this thinking that has led the CNA to procure river modeling software to underpin the new project. Having evaluated the marketplace for suitable modeling packages, the CNA arrived at the decision last December to invest in a multi-user distributed network modeling solution of InfoWorks RS. Training in the use of the software will begin shortly before model building gets underway.
Patricio Orozco, from the Mexico division of Wallingford Software's North American office, explains further:
"The CNA intends to focus on modeling the major rivers of the country. Mexico has several rivers that frequently flood major cities, resulting in considerable death and destruction. The CNA evaluated many modeling packages and decided that InfoWorks RS was the one that best met their requirements. By having better control and understanding of their rivers it is hoped that Mexico can better protect its population in the future."
Wallingford Software Limited is the software products and systems company within the HR Wallingford Group. Wallingford Software produces software tools for the water industry. Products include data management and network modeling software to support planning and operations in water distribution, sewerage provision, river management and coastal engineering. Water authorities, consulting engineers and academic institutions worldwide, use the company's flagship solution, InfoWorks.
Wallingford Software, Inc., the wholly owned North American subsidiary of Wallingford Software Limited, is located at 1412 West Magnolia Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76104. Tel: 888-520-2224. For more information in North America and Mexico, please telephone Tom Davies, President, on 888-520-2224 or email [email protected]. For more information in Europe, please telephone Wallingford Software on +44 (0) 1491 824777, or email [email protected].
Wallingford's web site may be found at: www.wallingfordsoftware.com.
