Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — One of Playa del Carmen’s most popular beach areas will fully reopen for the summer, but only temporarily. The city’s busy cenote at Punta Esmeralda will be open during the summer months, but shut again once the season ends.
Lourdes Várguez Ocampo, the Solidaridad Director of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat), said that the cenote has been off limits to swimmers since the end of March. However, within coming days, it will be reopened to the public.
Beachgoers who frequent Punta Esmeralda will be able to enjoy the cenote for several weeks. Ocampo says that once the summer season is over, the cenote will again be shut to it can continue its recovery process.
Ocampo explained that after Easter, the Punta Esmeralda cenote was closed due to contamination from overuse. She said that the natural outlets for the small body of water were found blocked, and that items that included diapers and feminine products, were found inside the cenote.
Ocampo says that since its closure in April, they have seen an improvement in the water. For this reason, it will only be open for a few weeks during the summer holiday season. However, if people fail to properly use the cenote and officials detect the quality of water is again contaminated, they will close it before the end of the summer season.
