Environmental organizations have once again called on authorities at all levels to address wastewater discharges a few meters from Playa Principal in Puerto Escondido.
During an interview with the newspaper El Imparcial, the spokesman for the Collective of Environmental Organizations of Oaxaca (COAO) warned that a wastewater “lagoon” of greenish and foul-smelling water exists just 100 meters from the beach and in close proximity to several restaurants.
“Administrations come and go,” said Nazario García Ramírez, “and we do not see concrete or forceful actions to stop the generation of pollution” in Puerto.
He questioned the inaction of the state and federal Ministries of Environment, as well as the local and federal Environmental Attorneys’ offices, like Profepa, who “turn a blind eye in this and many other cases.”
García urged officials to do something in defense of the environment in the coastal area, as there are many situations that endanger nature.
“It seems that in Puerto Escondido there are no wastewater regulations, because it can be discharged into the rivers and reach the sea without any treatment, added to the fact that no authority regulates or penalizes this source of pollution,” he said.
The environmental activists called on the Oaxaca Environmental Attorney’s office to carry out an inspection of the area near one of Puerto’s popular swimming beaches.
García stressed that the alert has been raised by residents and tourists alike, who cannot walk through the area because it represents a health risk.
With reports by El Imparcial
