“The exploitation of stone to obtain construction material has caused serious environmental damage in at least six municipalities of the State of Yucatán”, said ecologist José Román Rosado Rodríguez, who recommended federal authorities to regulate this activity, in order to avoid a major problem.
He montioned the cases of Homún, Tekax, Tzucacab, Chocholá, Progreso and Kopomá, where the unregulated exploitation for several years, has caused severe damage.
He indicated that the extraction of stone material devastates hectares of land, forming large cavities in the soil, which destroy flora and fauna, and causes a greater problem to the water table.
“The problem generated by the exploitation of rock banks is serious, so it is necessary to regulate the activity and ensure that no more extraction sites are opened,” Rosado Rodríguez said. He also stated that an association is in formation that will seek to raise awareness about this situation that prevails in the State.
“There are many municipalities affected by the consortiums that exploit the stone material, so it is important to avoid opening more sites of this type. In the case of Chocholá, the stone extraction works have been stopped because they are in the middle of a legal process” he said.
“Also, in Progreso, large areas that were once habitat for numerous species of flora and fauna, have been destroyed by private initiative stone extraction companies, for the last five years or so, turning the place into a cement factory” he concluded.
TYT Newsroom with information from yucatanahora.mx