In the San José Tzacalá community, the people say that Mayor Renán Barrera Concha promised them a drinking water pump back in 2018, and that promise was never fulfilled.
Additionally, residents complain about being cut off from communication as they do not have internet in the area, which is about an hour away from Mérida. The lack of technology prevents them from connecting their cell phones and calling an ambulance in case of an emergency.
“You can be dying here, and no ambulance can reach you,” said Andrea Sulub May, who was born and raised in this small community of just over 600 inhabitants.
In the past, Tzacalá was a prosperous henequen hacienda. There was work for everyone, and no one had to leave the community. However, today, few people stay in their homes during the week because they have to go to Mérida to “earn a living.”
For example, Sulub May cleans houses in the city and has to commute to the capital every day by bus. “There is no internet signal; Uber or any other modern platforms can’t come here,” she added.
But even when it comes to a sick person, ambulances don’t arrive. Although they have primary and secondary schools, their favorite weekend activity is alcohol consumption. She has two teenage daughters who, due to the lack of internet access, content themselves with listening to music on their cell phones.
Under the lush laurel trees of the park, former commissioner Armando Yam Chan and his friend Ramiro Itzá Nájera enjoy the cool breeze. Yam Chan recalled that when he was commissioner, he requested a pump to extract water from the well, but no one has responded to the call so far.
In fact, he stated that Renán Barrera has not visited Tzacalá. He only showed up there when he asked for votes for his re-election, and it was then that they reminded him of the urgent need for a new pump.
When the extraction fails, the population suffers greatly. The cost they bear is buying liters and liters of bottled water, which costs 13 pesos for a refillable container and 35 pesos for a well-known brand.
To try to appease the population, the Municipality “resurfaced some streets” to repave them. However, both Yam Chan and Itzá Nájera emphasized that the community’s greatest need is water.
They also mentioned that Tzacalá’s lack of communication is astounding in the current modern age, where technology reaches every corner but not this community, which is about an hour or a little more away from the capital.
TYT Newsroom
