Construction Halted for Danger to Environment

(Acapulco, AN 14 December) The federal assistant attorney general for environmental enforcement (PROFEPA) has shut down two notable construction sites in Acapulco for violation of environmental rules. Both are projects funded by the state government of Guerrero. Both adversely affected the natural environment and local ecology. Neither had obtained any environmental approvals or had bothered to file the required Environmental Impact Statement.

The larger of the two projects is the cloverleaf being built where the Escénica (Scenic Highway) crosses the road from Puerto Marqués towards Coloso and El Cayaco. Workers had been filling up the “Black Lagoon” of Puerto Marqués with petroleum refuse and construction debris, covering over the protected area with fill dirt, in the style of a land fill. PROFEPA yesterday ordered that all construction stop. PROFEPA said that its inspection found backhoes filling in the Puerto Marqués channel, blocking 50% of the natural water flow and destroying the habitat of protected species of flora and fauna, like the river crocodile and the mangrove. A secondary environmental benefit of the stoppage is that the horrific traffic jams and rush hour delays at that point will subside somewhat during the holiday season.

The second closure is at Playa La Angosta, in Acapulco’s traditional zone. The narrow beach faces the Pacific Ocean, not far from La Quebrada, nestled in a cove with high walls of stone on either side. Along the southern wall of the inlet the state highway department had approved the construction of a shelf-like pier, extending beyond the inlet. The idea was to provide fishermen with a safer place to moor small vessels and a more workable space for fresh seafood restaurants and retailers. As in the case of the Puerto Marqués project, adverse environmental impact was almost certain, and no environmental impact statements had been filed.