The Estero del Yugo is constantly contaminated with wastewater due to failures and collapses in the Municipal Culvert Cerritos, which has caused the death of thousands of fish
Mazatlán, Sin.- Although it is a protected natural area that has two lagoons and 11.5 hectares inhabited by a great biodiversity of flora and fauna, including around 150 species of aquatic and terrestrial birds, between endemic and migratory birds, the Estero del Yugo de Mazatlán is heavily contaminated with sewage due to the constant failures of the Cerritos de Jumapam collector.
In the last three years, this problem has caused severe environmental damage where, up to now, no actions have been taken, in accordance with the law, the responsible can be punished.
The most recent occurred last Saturday, January 7, as a result of a halt of operations in the Cerritos culvert, which resulted in the death of thousands of species that appeared on the shores of the mouth of the estuary, located in the northern area of the port, mostly lisas and tarpon, according to reports from environmentalists in the city.
And although Jumapam launched an environmental mitigation plan to deal with wastewater spills, the damage has already been done.
“It is an issue that in the last five years has become more acute because the study of the dynamics of the hydraulics in the area has not been specifically carried out, which has caused a lack of knowledge of the tidal flow and the entry and exit of water to the estuary, in addition to the contamination that comes from the wastewater discharges from the hotels, from the nearby residential areas and from the Jumapam culvert”, assured Sergio Valle, founder of the Ecological Council of Mazatlán Civil Association.
He explained that the death of fish is due to the loss of a large amount of oxygen that enters through tidal flows.
“The estuaries must have water inlet and outlet, it is undeniable, but with these replacements, accompanied by wastewater discharges, which have always existed in all the estuaries of Mazatlán, there is a very strong problem of contamination,” he highlighted.
In August 2022, many fish and shrimp appeared floating lifelessly on the estuary; Another similar case was recorded in November 2021, due to the collapse of the Jumapam collector due to the rains left by Hurricane “Pamela” in the municipality.
Jumapam is directly responsible
The former president of the Ecological Center of Mazatlán assured that Jumapam is directly responsible for this situation of ecocide and contamination that exists in that area of the city
“Jumapam is directly responsible and has always had that responsibility, not only there in the Estero del Yugo, but throughout Mazatlán,” he said.
In this type of situation, the law must be applied, since a complaint must be filed with the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), so that they act accordingly.
receives drainage, the fauna is destroyed, which does not allow them to live in optimal conditions, so if radical measures are not taken, it can disappear in a few years.
“It runs the risk of disappearing; the first indicator is the loss of flora and fauna of different species. It has to be dealt with urgently, but nothing is done, that should have been resolved a long time ago, four years ago the complaint was raised that Jumapam was probably contaminating with the culvert, but they continue with the same thing, yes, that can be stopped, applying the strict law and having the necessary studies. In the area there are research centers that should be obliged to present a proposal to stop this situation in this area, which is so important for Mazatlan, because there are human settlements nearby, important hotels that at a certain moment also have their share of responsibility, as we all the Mazatlecos”.
Sergio Valle is a microbiologist graduated from the National Polytechnic Institute, from the National School of Biological Sciences; professor and researcher at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, former president of the Mazatlán Ecological Center and founder of the Mazatlán Ecological Council Civil Association.
Lack of awareness
Despite the fact that the problem that exists in the Estero del Yugo is mainly attributed to the wastewater that is dumped into the body of water, merchants in the area point out that the public also pollutes, since many people go at night to drink alcoholics drinks, chatting, and even the beach visitors themselves throw their garbage there.
“Of course, it is also the fault of all the drainage that goes to the water, but you have to be realistic, the people who visit the place are also to blame for this problem, they throw their garbage bags, their beer cans. They even urinate there, it looks funny to them, but the truth is that it is not, they are doing a lot of damage to the estuary, I hope this problem will be solved soon, because it is not the first time that this situation has occurred,” said Marco Razo , cerritos beach street vendor.
The Jumapam cesspool collapsed over the weekend due to garbage clogging the pipes and it was not until they cleaned it up that it stopped contaminating.
“They took out a lot of garbage, but it was still in the bushes, they have come to follow it up, because there were containers, plates, bags and many other things they took from there, it needs good maintenance, and above all that people are prohibited from coming to drink at night, because they are the ones who throw away all that rubbish and they don’t take responsibility,” added the vendor.
The situation, he added, affects them as vendors, but also the people who want to use the beach area correctly.
“People come and go when they get the bad smell from dead fish, or they see trash on the sand and they don’t like it and they end up going to a better place.”
The Estero del Yugo is also home to amphibians, reptiles, deer and armadillos. Likewise, of plants such as mangrove, mesquite, guayacán and garbancillo, among others.
Source: El Sol de Mazatlan
