Lack of drainage has a growing negative environmental impact on Quintana Roo’s aquifers

Four out of 10 spas and homes near lagoons in the southern zone of Quintana Roo lack an efficient drainage system, which has increased water pollution in the area.

Érika Ramírez, delegate of the National Water Commission in Quintana Roo, explained that the communities of Huay Pix or Xul Há are the ones that have the least sanitary drainage systems, so their waste is dumped directly into the bodies of water or in improvised pits.
He pointed out that this problem is not only caused by tourism companies, but also by private homes that are more than five years old.
“Since 2022 we have been allocating federal resources to put sanitary drainage in areas such as the coast in Bacalar, Xul Ha and Buenavista. Obviously this is accompanied by a campaign for people to connect to this system and thus limit the impact on aquifers and surface water bodies,” he stated.
He cited that in other communities septic tanks with biodigesters were built to avoid sewage seepage.

He also announced that the next steps include investing in the Bacalar coast which is still without drainage, as well as Huay Pix, Laguna Guerrero or Raudales.

He said that it is of vital importance to carry out these works of adequacy, considering that with the investments and the tourism that will arrive through the Mayan Train, it will also mean a greater pressure on the drainage.
“For this reason is that we are working among the three orders of government to have the house in order before this happens. It requires a lot of work and resources, but it is undoubtedly necessary to guarantee sustainable tourism,” he said.

It is worth mentioning that according to the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks, in the last five years the degree of contamination of the main lagoon bodies in the south of Quintana Roo has increased, due to the increase of human activity for recreational purposes in this area.

TYT Newsroom