70 tons of chemical waste need to be removed from Yucatan’s aquifer

More than 70 tons of waste have been detected in the aquifer of Yucatán, said Eduardo Batllori, State Secretary of Environmental and Urban Development (Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Medio Ambiente: SEDUMA)

Batllori declared: “We are aware of the great problem caused by the misuse of highly toxic agrochemicals; a huge amount of them are used regularly in the fields and crops of Yucatan, and about 70 tons of this waste are produced every year. This situation affects mostly the oceans, cenotes and lagoons.”

He continued, “We have detected these pollutants in several areas. Remember that our aquifer is one of the most abundant in the country, but on the other hand it is extremely vulnerable to contamination due to the thin soils in most of the state”.

Actions need to be carried out urgently to try to control this situation. In 2015, 6 tons of empty agrochemical products bottles were collected, and for 2016 a goal of 4 tons has been established.

Gathering centers have been implemented statewide, to collect as many  empty agrochemical products bottles as possible, and put an end to 80 years of indifference to this serious problem.

“We intend to immediately start actions to try to solve this terrible situation,” said Alfredo Ríos, representative of the Habanero Chile State Producers Council  (Consejo Estatal de Productores de Chile de Yucatán: Ceproch).

Authorities say the South and East of the state have the highest rates of water pollution, that is why this Marathon of empty agrochemical containers collection is taking place right now (from June 27 to July 1), in order to cope with the heavy pollution that exists in the inland watertable and the marine ecosystem off the Yucatecan coasts.

Source: http://sipse.com/

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