The Pánuco River is located in Mexico and is one of the largest water currents that flow through the North American nation. Its flow is fed or depends on the waters that reach it through other secondary rivers.
This river begins in the Mexican highlands, which refers to a great plateau that joins several northern and central states of the country, and has its mouth in Tamaulipas. Due to its location, it integrates the hydrological system that is named Tula, Moctezuma, Pánuco.
Tampico Bridge over the Pánuco River. Source: Horacio_Fernandez, via Wikimedia Commons.
The word Pánuco was born in the Huasteca communities and it was important to found Tula. The course of the Pánuco River served as a guide for the Toltecs to ascend to the highlands, where the city was established, currently part of the Hidalgo state.
Location
In Mexico there are more than 700 hydrological basins that make up 37 regions. In the case of the Pánuco river, it is in region 26 along with 76 other basins.
Region 26 is nearly 100,000 square kilometers in size and encompasses 10 states. Among them, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Querétaro, San Luis de Potosí, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Tamaulipas, Mexico and some parts of Nuevo León and Puebla. It is also known as Administrative Region IX.
Source and mouth
The basin of the Pánuco River is fed by the flows of other rivers such as the Moctezuma, the Tampaón River, the Tempoal and the Tamesí. The river begins in the state of Mexico and the direction of its flow is towards the north until it reaches Ixmiquilpan.
Then the river changes direction and heads to the northeast of the country where it joins the San Juan del Río river and receives the name of Moctezuma. It begins to receive water from the Extoraz, Tamazunchale, Amajac and Tempoal rivers. When the system joins the Tampaón River, it is when it begins to be called the Pánuco River, until it finally empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
This final stage of the Pánuco River is distinguished by crossing areas of low elevations and with nearby lagoons that benefit from the waters of the Pánuco. These lagoons are important because they serve as an outlet for the river in case of flooding. Near the place where the Pánuco River flows, the confluence with the Tamesí River occurs.
characteristics
Due to its extension and the great confluence with other rivers, the characteristics of the Pánuco River vary according to the area. To begin with, the region in which it is located is called Huastecas.
The vegetation for example has elements of tropical savanna, but also of mountainous jungle and even desert. Its relief can reach a height of almost four thousand meters above sea level. In the highest areas is where there is presence of cloud forests, with a large presence of mosses.
The number of fish found in the system is also significant. There are more than 88 species of fish, of which an estimated 80 are native species. Tilapia, carp, catfish, sea bass are some of the species that are not native.
It has a waterfall, such as the Tamul that is more than 100 meters high, natural springs and with caves and deep sinkholes.
The main rivers from which the Pánuco feeds are the Tamesí, Tampaón, Tamacuil and the Moctezuma. It is also made up of three areas: the upper, middle and lower basin.
There are some parts that can be navigable, as in the lower basin, where large ships can sail to the port of Tampico. This means that most of the system cannot be navigated.
Although the part of the river that receives the name of Pánuco is only 120 kilometers long, the complete set of the system is about 500 kilometers.
One of its most worrying characteristics is that it is among the most polluted basins in the country. This has been as a result of the action of man and the activities carried out in the vicinity of the river.
Importance
The Pánuco river basin is of great importance to Mexico for many different factors. To begin with, it must be remembered that this river is the fourth largest in Mexico by its surface area and in volume it occupies the fifth position in the country.
For these reasons, the benefits it brings to the country are multiple; Its waters benefit several states, including San Luis, Querétaro, México or Tamaulipas. Moreover, almost 80% of the Mexican population is located in thirteen basins and one of those basins is the Pánuco River.
It is estimated that there are more than 15 million people in the Pánuco basin, which makes it the system with the largest population in the country.
Even, due to its volume and the territory it occupies, it is vital because its flow can be used to solve shortages in some cities.
Contamination
The problems that the Pánuco River has with pollution are very important and increasingly worrying. Water pollution has been caused by the presence of household waste (due to the high population living throughout the system) or the return of water from irrigation systems, especially from urban areas.
Economic activities have also affected the system, such as mining, oil, and the deposit of industrial waste in the river's waters. Specifically in the center of the country, industries are very present.
The contamination is so acute that this system presents one of the most important deteriorations at the hydrological level. It is estimated that in urban areas the wastewater that reaches the river can reach 2,000 liters, while in other areas the amount of contaminated water can be even higher.
Fishing has been an activity that has been particularly affected by this problem. They have accused the oil industry on several occasions; so the impact of river pollution is not only health-wise, it also affects economically.
Reference
- Arroyo Amezcua, A. (2015). The importance of the Pánuco River. Recovered from aguayambiente.com
- Benke, A., & Cushing, C. (2010). Field guide to rivers of North America. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier / Academic Press.
- Casanova, F. Analysis of the current environmental impact study. Monterrey VI project. Recovered from aguaambiente.com
- Hydrology of the Pánuco. (2015). Recovered from famm.mx
- Geographic location of the Pánuco River. Recovered from eumed.net