As part of the actions for World Water Day, this March 22nd, personnel from the Secretariat of Sustainable Development (SDS) of Yucatan, with the support of volunteers, civil groups, companies and the community, cleaned the Tixhualactún cenote, located in the police station of the same name, in the municipality of Valladolid.
(La Jornada Maya).- They collected 182 kilograms of garbage, among the bags that the SDS divers gathered, they found different plastics, pet bottles, glass, bags of chips, glasses, instant soups, aerosols, among other waste.
This is the sanitation of the fourth cenote so far this year in Yucatan. During the current administration, 65 water sources have been cleaned in the state and more than 15 tons of garbage have been collected.
In addition, they held an environmental fair, recreational activities for boys and girls, reforestation, water care talks, among other events.
Diana Pérez Jaumá, Undersecretary of Planning for Sustainability of the SDS, on behalf of Sayda Rodríguez Gómez, head of the agency, explained the Comprehensive Recovery Strategy for Cenotes and Caves, which aims to improve the quality of water and health of the population. of the state.
The program has several strategic objectives, from the recovery and conservation of these karstic ecosystems, environmental education and awareness through recreational activities, research to determine water quality, connection with different sectors, governance, promoting the participation of volunteers and mass dissemination of actions.
“United we will recover these ecosystems and social welfare, creating environmental awareness in the communities and promoting their sustainable use,” said the official.
Toshio Julián Yokoyama Cobá, director of Management and Conservation of the SDS, commented that he has “demonized” many companies that pollute the water and the cenotes; however, according to inspections that have been carried out, it has been verified that many have good wastewater treatment systems to prevent contamination of the water table.
“It is a very variable subject, which has many edges,” he indicated.
He specified that there are many cenotes that are contaminated with organic waste, in others there is no water treatment system in the towns, in some the citizens themselves pollute and in other cases the wind causes the waste to end up in these water sources.
“We all have to do our part and have an open mind to understand some edges, which is not necessarily how it has been handled,” he stressed.
He also emphasized the importance of the collaboration of private initiatives, associations, volunteers and the community for the cleanup of cenotes. “Alone it is a bit difficult, but if we join together we can move forward and encompass more,” he said.
The end, she specified, is that these clean-ups are no longer done, or only for special occasions; raise awareness among the population so that they take care of their cenotes, that they lose the stigma that they are dangerous through knowledge and that they protect their ecosystems, which are important for ecology.
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