Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Authorities are being asked to investigate the former mayors of both Holbox and Isla Mujeres for their (lack of) solid waste management during their terms.
Edgar Gasca Arceo, Deputy President of the Health and Social Assistance Commission in the XVI Legislature of the State of Quintana Roo, says he has questioned the results of the investigations carried out by Semarnat and the Ministry of the Environment (SEMA).
He said that he questions the 70,000 tons of garbage that disappeared without any records or information to support where it went and what happened to it. While he says he doesn’t believe it was buried on the island, it’s questionable that the previous administration said it was solved by thermovaluation “but without records or blog, nor more information to support that version.”
The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) said that the garbage disappeared in less than three months but that “it is not known exactly where it went to eliminate so much garbage.”
Gasca Arceo pointed out that the Ministry of the Environment does not have records or full knowledge of the final disposal of those 70,000 tons of garbage, so it is necessary to investigate thoroughly and present evidence that supports or refutes that version.
In the case of the municipality of Isla Mujeres, the president of the Health Commission said that the problem of garbage collection has exceeded the authorities, going from 10,000 to 40,000 tons, which affects the tourist image of the island in addition to representing a serious health problem.
He considered the need to have a comprehensive and inter-institutional waste management plan in Quintana Roo urgent because the issue of garbage has exceeded the capacity of the municipalities and has become a public health problem.
The Ministry of the Environment (Sema), the Procurator for Environmental Protection (PPA), as well as all related bodies need to intervene and act urgently, not just limit themselves to saying that ‘this is a problem for the municipalities’, Gasca Arceo added.