PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) – Puerto Vallarta is grappling with a burgeoning public health crisis as the ongoing water shortage heightens the risk of disease outbreaks and could potentially tarnish the city’s reputation as a premier tourist destination.
According to state officials from various agencies, the water shortage in the municipality, particularly in the areas of El Pitillal and Ixtapa, has reached a worrying level, transforming into a critical public health concern. The water scarcity issue is no longer a political matter, they state, but a predicament that calls for immediate resolution by the municipal authorities and Seapal.
Thus far, the city has succeeded in maintaining a consistent water supply to tourists and expatriates residing within the city confines, largely confining the crisis to residential areas predominantly inhabited by local residents and those employed in the service sector of the tourism industry.
During a joint press conference, Jaime Álvarez Zayas, Director of the VIII Sanitary Region, revealed that the rising positivity of Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs and the increasing number of mosquito breeding sites in homes are concerning, as it raises the possibility of an alarming surge in dengue cases.
The higher parts of Pitillal and several areas in Ixtapa, that already suffer from a lack of potable water, are at particular risk. With the onset of the rainy season, residents resort to collecting water in buckets, inadvertently providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes due to the high temperatures shortening the mosquito reproduction cycle to five days.
Furthermore, the lack of access to clean water has resulted in a 15% increase in diarrheal diseases. This is due to inadequate sanitation practices, including insufficient hand washing and compromised toilet use. Alarmingly, Álvarez Zayas warns that the prevailing conditions pose a risk of cholera and/or typhoid outbreaks, infectious diseases that could detrimentally affect the image of Puerto Vallarta as a tourist destination.
Moreover, the water shortage might negatively impact the city’s tourism sector, with Jorge Antonio Quintero Alvarado, the municipal coordinator of beach tourism, emphasizing the urgent need to prioritize a solution to the water crisis.
Education is also affected, with at least five educational institutions suspending activities due to water shortages. The governor’s representative in the west coast region, Susana Rodríguez Mejía, announced an upcoming forum with specialists to analyze the current water situation in the municipality and to propose alternative solutions. Among these alternatives is the potential implementation of a water nests program in the municipality.
PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - Puerto Vallarta is grappling with a burgeoning public health crisis as the ongoing water shortage heightens the risk of disease outbreaks and could potentially tarnish the city's reputation as a premier tourist destination.
According to state officials from various agencies, the water shortage in the municipality, particularly in the areas of El Pitillal and Ixtapa, has reached a worrying level, transforming into a critical public health concern. The water scarcity issue is no longer a political matter, they state, but a predicament that calls for immediate resolution by the municipal authorities and Seapal.
Thus far, the city has succeeded in maintaining a consistent water supply to tourists and expatriates residing within the city confines, largely confining the crisis to residential areas predominantly inhabited by local residents and those employed in the service sector of the tourism industry.
