Chetumal (19 Sept 2018) .- In the framework of the development of works related to the Maya Train “we must focus on the design of the route, and avoid the risk of sinking as much as possible”, an expert says.
“Quintana Roo’s subsoil is karstic and features more than 900 kilometers of underground flooded galleries (cenotes),” warned the president of the College of Civil Engineers of the southern zone of Quintana Roo, Amir Efrén Padilla Espadas.
The leader of civil engineering professionals in Chetumal recalled that “the subsidence that has occurred on the roads, in urban areas and in the jungles across the state (the most recent, the Chakanbab lagoon) are a sign of the fragile subsoil and the need for very specific studies and tests of soil science and geology, mainly in the central and southern parts of Quintana Roo, which soils have not been profoundly studied, although it is obviously part of the karstic massif of the Yucatan Peninsula. ”
Karstic Subsoil:
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves.
“What is known is that along the north, center and south of Quintana Roo there are different categories of subsoil and that this geodiversity in the state is associated with a biological diversity and landscape which in turn has led to the creation of natural protected areas”, the expert continued.
“These natural protected areas should also be safeguarded in the Maya Train route, so we are talking about the need for solid technical studies in various fields, ranging from geology, hydrology, biology and, most importantly, others of a sociological nature, which have what to do with the impact on the rural populations. A real challenge for the specialists who will be in charge of the civil work,” Padilla Espadas said.
Amir Efrén Padilla Espadas remembered that in the south zone of the State the Bacalar Lagoon system is fed by hundreds of natural springs and underground rivers and cenotes that have not been mapped in their totality.
“Conagua is the institution that has more precise information on this subject and it will be necessary to have access to these maps of the subsoil, underground rivers, currents and bodies of water that we have in the area so that the most convenient route of the Mayan Train can be traced,” he added.
“This work is “monumental” and should be developed on deep and precise technical studies to turn the Maya Train into a real engine of socio-economic development for the southern area of Quintana Roo,” said the president of the College of Civil Engineers.
Finally, Padilla Espadas added that the College of Engineers agrees to reduce the “IVA” tax from 16 to 8 percent on the southern border. “It is a consensus agreement that we have taken within the framework of the Business Coordinating Council of Chetumal,” he said.
TYT Newsroom with information from http://cancunmio.com