Progreso, Yucatán — Faced with the lack of action by local, state and federal authorities regarding a solution to Progreso’s so-called “relleno sanitario” or “sanitary landfill,” the population of Flamboyanes faces daily health risks.
Over 3,000 people live in Flamboyanes, a relatively isolated neighborhood which is on mile marker 24.8 of the Mérida-Progreso highway and eight kilometers south of the port city.
In addition to the hundreds of cubic meters of carbon dioxide and other gases thrown into the atmosphere, the dump also leaches toxins into the ground.
From there, the toxins filtrate into the subsoil and then into groundwater, which is a conduit to water reserves maintained by the Municipal System of Drinking Water and Sewerage (Smapap).
At the same time, the leachates continue their journey until they reach the wetlands surrounding Flamboyanes.
Freddy Pech Martínez, director of Smapap, said that while the neighborhood’s water supply is chlorinated, toxins from the garbage dump could still reach households through their taps.
Source: Sipse
