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An orange metal elevator heads deep into the bowels of Mexico City, where a crew of technicians and engineers is inspecting a 900-ton machine, longer than a football field, that burrows through a muddy mélange of rock, silt, and water. It's the first stage of the city's plan to build a massive new tunnel that officials hope will relieve the pressures on Mexico City's drainage system.

User Sboulema
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Final answer:

The discussed project is a tunnel in Mexico City targeting the improvement of the drainage system, compared with historical engineering undertakings like aqueducts, the Panama Canal, and Hoover Dam, emphasizing the complexity and importance of water management in urban development.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to a massive new tunnel project in Mexico City designed to alleviate the stress on the city's drainage system. This endeavor comes in response to various challenges including fresh water shortages, wastewater management, and the environmental and structural impacts of water extraction from underground aquifers, causing the city to sink. Historical comparisons can be drawn with other monumental feats of engineering such as the construction of aqueducts, the Panama Canal, and Hoover Dam, which also necessitated innovative solutions to complex problems including water diversion, handling of tough terrains and ensuring the health of workers with measures like mosquito nets and fumigation systems post malaria and yellow fever discoveries. Similar to the ancient canals of Tenochtitlan and modern-day feats like New York City's Waterfalls art installation, this tunnel demonstrates the ongoing quest for water control and management for urban settlements.

User Jensej
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