Representatives of organizations defending the environment and experts in ecology expresssed the need to reverse the degradation and deterioration of the city’s environment, particularly in terms of garbage, water tables pollution and urban development to the PRI political party candidate to the mayor of Mérida, Víctor Caballero Duran.
In an open dialogue called “Sustainable Ecological Planning and Development“, the aspirant to govern the state capital listened to the suggestions for developing public policies with sustainability as their axis in order to solve problems of pollution that already affect the quality of life of people in Merida.
Academic researchers and experts in the field of conservation and attention to the environment stressed the huge gap that exists in the issues of garbage separation, recycling and disposition in our city, that is already reaching high contamination levels.
Experts referred presented the following facts:
- 2011: 225,000 houses in Mérida generated 600 tons of garbage per day
- 2015: 260,000 houses in Mérida generated 750 tons of garbage per day
- 2018: 270,000 houses in Mérida generate 900 tons of garbage per day
If this rate of growth of domestic waste generation continues between 5.5 and 6 percent, by 2030, 1,300 tons will be generated daily in the “Ciudad Blanca“.
Garbage problem in Mérida (Photo: DY)
“If we do not raise awareness and stop our bad habits, there will be no landfill, space or lot big enough to deposit such an amount of garbage, hence the urgent need to implement a system of use and comprehensive disposal of waste”, experts said.
At the meeting held in the South Metropolitan Ecological Park “Yu’um Tsil”, the attendees also exposed to Victor Caballero the problems of water waste, the lack of balance that exist between consumption and recharge of the water table, that is to say, that the misuse will eventually dry the underground rivers of the Yucatán.
In this sense, representatives of higher education institutions and water development organizations also exposed the mayoral candidate of Mérida the need to implement awareness programs to avoid waste and not to discharge polluting liquids into the subsoil.
In the discussion, the attendees also questioned the environmental impact of the construction of housing developments that have been created in the city without respecting the urban development or territorial planning program, which also destroys the environment.
Victor Caballero Duran requested the support of environmental experts and social organizations to articulate public policies and laws in order to achieve effective protection of the environment and punish those who don’t comply.
The attendees highlighted the long-term vision of the PRI candidate to the City of Mérida, which will address the challenges of a city that in a few years will reach 1,500,000 inhabitants.
Source: yucatan.com.mx
