Prickly pears, avocados and lemons: how rainwater harvesting is feeding Mexico City’s gardens and homes

Thousands of low-income households are benefiting from a simple system that captures and filters rainfall from the city’s roofs Walking up a steep hill to a small informal settlement of about 45 houses in Cristo Rey, above San Gregorio Atlapulco in Mexico City, Ana Aparicio Bahena arrives at her simple home. As she walks through her lush, verdant garden, she points out plants such as the prickly pear, cactus leaves with tiny, hair-like spines, and picks blackberries hanging from a bush, hand...

By Suzanne Bearne in Mexico City