A demand to protect Puerto Escondido from unfettered growth made by the local environmentalist group Costa Unida has been taken to the internet with an online petition addressing the state government.
In an petition on change.org, the NGO says that thousands of tourists visit Zicatela in Puerto Escondido for its great waves and beautiful beaches.
However, the town’s “excessive” growth is having strong repercussions on the environment and a sustainable zoning plan is necessary if the collapse of the beaches is to be avoided.
By not having an appropriate infrastructure and a comprehensive urban development plan, Puerto Escondido faces a series of problems that include lack of drinking water and other basic services, improper wastewater treatment and ambiguity in construction codes.
Costa Unida says in its petition that these issues have raised concerns in different sectors of the community, resulting in a call for a Sustainable Urban and Ecological Development Plan that respects and preserves the beaches of Puerto Escondido and its waves, as these are the biggest tourist attractions the area has to offer.
While municipal authorities have addressed the needs of the community by creating agreements aimed to control the growth of tourist areas in some Puerto neighborhoods, clear urban planning and guidelines are still missing at the municipal level. This fosters the arbitrary growth of Puerto Escondido, said the environmentalists, making already existing needs and issues worse and raising even more concerns among the public.
Costa Unida has made it clear through demonstrations that they are not opposed to the growth of tourism in the area, but they do demand a development plan, one that aims in the long term for the greater benefit in all aspects of the different sectors of the community.
In just over three weeks, the Salvemos Zicatela! (Let’s save Zicatela!) petition has been signed by over 14,100 people, just 900 shy of its goal.
With reports by La Brecha
