The government of Puerto Vallarta had more than a year to expand the North Collector and avoid the rupture that occurred last week causing contamination of beaches and the Estero El Salado.
Several inspections had already warned of a possible collapse due to the growing construction of condominiums in the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood and an aging drainage network, warnings that the government chose to ignore.
Local environmentalists accused the three government agencies of being responsible for the severe damage caused to the Natural Protected Area (ANP) to the El Salado estuary by the collapse of the central-north collector 10 days ago that spilled thousands of cubic meters of sewage into the lagoon, as well as channels and area beaches.
Environmentalists, including Vidal Quintero and Marina Pérez, were received by Julio Juárez Ruiz, currently in charge of the office of the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).
“Their bad decisions put our health at risk,” protesters said, “The El Salado Estero Ecosystem is in danger”.
Currently, the estuary remains closed for tourist tours, in addition to the beaches of the Marina-Vallarta area to the mouth of the Pitillal River remain with a red flag, indicating beaches are closed.
Investigators accused the authorities of a slow response prohibiting entry to the beach two days after the spill when thousands of cubic meters of sewage had entered the sea.
This week the researcher of the University of Guadalajara, Jorge Téllez López, declared that the collapse of the collector did not cause a contingency but “an environmental emergency”, and which could lead to “an economic emergency”.
