Neighbors of Mexico's “toilet” wastewater dam hope for cleanup 22/08/2024

The Endho reservoir is sometimes described as Mexico's “toilet”, as it receives the wastewater of some 22 million people in the capital, as well as the runoff from a thermoelectric plant, a refinery, and other industries that surround it (ALFREDO ESTRELLA)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Neighbors of Mexico's “toilet” wastewater dam hope for cleanup

Yussel GONZALEZ

On the banks of a wastewater dam in central Mexico, under a dense cloud of mosquitoes, Yury Uribe finally sees hope after spending decades in “environmental hell”.

The 43-year-old lives next to the Endho reservoir, sometimes described as Mexico's “toilet bowl” for receiving the wastewater of some 22 million people in the capital and the runoff from a thermoelectric plant, a refinery, and other industries surrounding it.

Even corpses have been found in the murky waters of its reservoir.

Twenty years ago, Uribe and other residents of the town of Tepetitlan launched a campaign to rehabilitate the reservoir, whose waters contaminate drinking water wells and are blamed by the community for cancer and other diseases.

Now, their efforts are just weeks away from beginning to bear fruit, with the government about to approve a decree to restore Endho and the surrounding reservoir.

“We hope that the day will come when the soil recovers and that not everything we touch is dead,” Uribe, a seamstress from the town, told AFP.

She is a co-founder of the Social Movement for the Earth, created in 2004 to draw attention to the disaster affecting an area of almost 25,000 hectares (around 61,780 acres) and described by the government in 2019 as an “environmental hell”.

These are areas “sacrificed so that Mexico City can function well”, with its wastewater and rainfall being discharged here - some 110 kilometers away - so as not to flood, Uribe said.

- 'There is no life' - you

The community's struggle has been a long one.

After repeatedly occupying the offices of the Ministry of the Environment and the National Water Commission (Conagua) in recent years, they managed to get the government to carry out an environmental study in June.

The government is preparing to issue a decree next month to “restore” the dam by reducing wastewater discharge and improving water treatment.

It will probably be the first stage in a long process.

The dam's reservoir is surrounded by trees and fields that are sometimes reflected on its surface, projecting an idyllic image. However, in these waters “there is no life”, commented one resident.

When AFP visited the site, a human corpse was floating among the lilies and garbage - the third to appear in a month, according to residents.

The stench is the least of the problems. In Tepetitlan, the conversation invariably revolves around cancer.

For the locals, there is no doubt that pollution is the cause.

“It's down to what we eat, what we breathe, the environment,” said Irma Gonzalez, a 47-year-old breast cancer patient.

“Many of us already have cancer,” added her neighbor Blanca Santos, 64, whose lungs are affected.

Studies by Conagua show that the water from the wells near the reservoir is not suitable for consumption due to the high levels of heavy metals, such as arsenic and mercury.

These pollutants come from industries that discharge their water into the Tula River and other tributaries that flow into the reservoir.

- Chromosomal alterations

The authorities have promised to investigate a possible link between pollution and disease.

Oncologist Eduardo Amieva told AFP that heavy metals can “start to accumulate in organs” such as the kidneys, liver, skin, or bladder.

This, in turn, can lead to “chromosomal alterations and, eventually, cancer”, he said.

Farms in the Mezquital Valley have long used water from the reservoir to irrigate their crops.

Products from there, such as corn, peppers, beans, or alfalfa, are sold in Mexico City and other states in the country.

“This water has brought us benefits”, but also ‘damages’, said Victor Angeles, a corn farmer whose family includes several cancer patients.

Government regulations state that tall crops such as corn can be irrigated with wastewater, but not those in direct contact with the land, said Edith Garcia, a water management specialist.

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