Sewer Repairs Abandoned in Las Playas

(Acapulco, NA 18 November) Residents in Las Playas have protested that repairs to the sewer and storm drain system in their neighborhoods have been abandoned. The contractor, “Constructora 2R” is contractually bound to complete the work by December, but for several weeks the project has been abandoned. The contracting agencies are CAPAMA and CAPASEG, the state-level water authority. The contractor has left sewers open and incomplete. Curbs, sidewalks and light poles are missing. According to residents, the median of the Costera has been worn away in a few places. They are used as unofficial turn-around points for vehicles. Several accidents have occurred as a result. The medians have been neglected, garbage is strewn all over, and what little landscaping there is has dried up and died from neglect. Cables, rocks and cement are spread all over. One resident interviewed by the press complained, “if they are not going to improve the place, at least they should not make it worse.”

For its part, the state water authority has explained that the terrain in the area is very rough and hard to dig in, thus causing delays and complicating efforts. CAPASEG insisted that the suspension of work was not due to a shortage of funds. Funds for this project come from an earmarked budget of $18 million pesos called “Comprehensive Clean Up of the Bay.”