Imminent ecocide on Holbox Island… What are the authorities doing about it?

The revelation of the expert opinion is awaited to know the impact of contamination on the ecosystem.

(HOLBOX, QUINTANA ROO, – CITY COUNCIL), January 21, 2022.- The 25 tons of garbage generated daily by the inhabitants of Holbox and its visitors will continue to be deposited in the Kantunilkin dump , because the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) still keeps the island’s landfill closed.

The information obtained reveals that the federal delegation carries out expert tests and analyzes of the subsoil to verify if the garbage that was in the place was covered with sand and earth during the last year of the administration of the municipal president Nivardo Mena Villanueva, which would represent a serious risk of contamination for the ecosystem .

Also the expert opinion to determine if during this process, which occurred between November and December 2020, several hectares of mangrove , a species protected by Semarnat, were devastated.

This situation has put the current government headed by Emir Bellos Tun in a tight spot, who said that for four months they have had to transport solid waste from the island of Holbox to the municipal seat of Lázaro Cárdenas, which represents a distance of 55 kilometers. .

“Fortunately, we are counting on the support of both the shipping company that connects the island with the mainland, and the local dump trucks, who are supporting the transportation of garbage, since otherwise it would represent an exorbitant expense of several million. of pesos, which the City Council is not in a position to contribute due to the difficult situation in which the finances left us,” he declared.

This while the federal authorities resolve on the Holbox waste transfer zone, although he said that so far they do not have a date for when this situation will be resolved.

“Meanwhile, we continue to search for strategies to solve Holbox’s problems. The situation is complicated, because when the island is within a National Protected Area, the treatment of the ecosystem is different”.

He added that this makes it difficult to even implement basic programs such as potholes, but in the meantime, they focus on guaranteeing the sanitation of the island and that waste does not continue to accumulate.

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