Cancun, Q.R. — The City of Cancun has shut down a building project for non-compliance of environmental conditions. Inspectors paid a visit to the site last week in response to a noise complaint.
According to Fernando Haro Salinas, Cancun’s General Directorate of Ecology, the company was running pumps late into the night to remove an accumulation of water where they intended to build a parking area.
Residents in SM 15 of central Cancun made a complaint that lead to the project’s temporary closure.
“In response to a complaint made by residents of Supermanzana 15 through social media, and under the instructions of Mayor Ana Paty Peralta, an inspection visit was carried out at a construction site,” he said.
He said residents “reported a constant noise generated by the extraction of water on a property where there is allegedly a cenote.”
Salnias said that after a review of the site, they did not locate a cenote, only accumulated rainwater. He reported that the company was trying to drain the water to start building an underground parking lot.
“Based on the technical review carried out on the site, it was confirmed that there is no body of water within the indicated property, however, due to the characteristics of the project, which includes the development of a basement-type parking lot with an approximate depth of five meters, the work carried out causes the surfacing of accumulated rainwater and, in some cases, water from the water table, a situation that does not correspond to the presence of a cenote,” he explained.
He added that during the inspection, they found non-compliance with various environmental conditions established in the approval permits granted to the company. For that reason, the corresponding inspection report was drawn up with the temporary closure of the project so it can be corrected by the company.
“Staff from the municipal department will closely monitor compliance with these conditions as well as the proper observance of authorized work schedules, ensuring that no work is carried out outside of the established times, in accordance with the regulations governing the municipality,” he added.
