The construction of the tourist development in Punta Colorada, the last virgin beach in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, is not possible due to a definitive suspension resulting from an amparo. But although this was granted last January to environmental defenders and residents, the state's governor, Salomón Jara Cruz, insists that it can be done.
The project was presented a year ago by the state government and involves the development of seven lots for the construction of hotels, five commercial lots and 13 residential lots on 111 hectares of Punta Colorada.
Initially, Governor Salomón Jara argued that since it was a state property, he would leave the decision to implement the project to popular consultation. However, despite the anti-mobilizations in recent months and the protection promoted by citizens, he has insisted that tourism development in Punta Colorada is viable.
“As long as the suspension exists, the state government cannot build in Punta Colorada. We were very lucky that the topic and the government's intentions were announced before they began to study the area,” explained Almendra Gomezleyva Melchor, coordinator of Salvemos Colorada, the group that heads the defense of the beach.
The main reason for the suspension is the ecological importance of Punta Colorada. It is a deciduous lowland jungle where mangroves, ornamental plants, migratory birds, pollinating bats and several endangered species are included in NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 for protection, such as the crocodile and the leatherback turtle.
In addition to this, the type of soil would not allow tourism development such as the one proposed by the authorities.
“They are very porous lands, in fact, they are being landfilled, and a type of construction like the one they are proposing is not viable. If you look at it from the risk analysis, then it is an unstable area for construction. From the geological side, there are geological terraces with vestiges of the Pleistocene (which began 2.59 million years ago),” said the coordinator of Salvemos Colorada.
Efforts in Colorada
The tropical climate and biodiversity of Puerto Escondido, bordering the waters of the Pacific, have led to an increase in tourism in recent years. The release of turtles, surfing beaches, dolphin and whale watching, among other activities, are increasingly attracting domestic and foreign tourists.
But with the flow of tourism, there are increasing abuses in infrastructure services and, consequently, their impact on the environment.
“The wastewater problem has increased with the growth of Puerto Escondido. Because although there is a greater flow of tourism, investment in infrastructure has not been equivalent. For example, the Colotepec area has no drainage, so all new buildings use septic tanks that pipes go and unload in Punta Colorada,” Gomezleyva Melchor explained.
The problem of wastewater pollution has a history since 2006 when the wastewater treatment plant, known as PTAR Punta Colorada, began operations, which discharged into the La Salinita lagoon, located in this same area.
The lack of sanitation led to a legal mobilization by environmental defenders. On May 16, 2022, the Sixth District Court in the State of Oaxaca admitted an application for amparo for wastewater discharges in Punta Colorada.
The result was a temporary suspension for the appropriate authorities to prevent more discharges and address pollution in the La Salinita lagoon. However, the problem continues to this day. For this reason, Salvemos Colorada requested an expansion of demand, to which they have been waiting for a response since January of last year.
“It doesn't make sense for us (Salvemos Colorada) that the government prefers to invest 2 billion pesos in expanding the airport (in Puerto Escondido) to bring in more people rather than investing 600 million in infrastructure to receive and adequately and optimally serve the flow of tourism,” said Gomezleyva.
For its part, the government of Oaxaca has shared this year that, as part of the actions for sanitation and sanitary drainage infrastructure in Puerto Escondido, it would make an investment of 10.3 million for the rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plants of Punta Colorada 1 and 2, in the municipality of San Pedro Mixtepec.
In addition, they reported another investment of 10.74 million pesos in the municipality to serve the Santa Fe wastewater treatment plant. This adds up to a total budget of 21 million for infrastructure.
Despite the lack of action, Salvemos Colorada has meetings with authorities to promote environmental protection. One of these has been with the municipal government of San Pedro Mixtepec to work on an Urban and Territorial Development Plan that establishes Punta Colorada as a non-developable area with environmental value.
As coordinator of Salvemos Colorada, Almendra Gómezleyva recognizes that the growth of Puerto Escondido “is inevitable”, so she considers that better regulations are necessary to avoid affecting ecosystems.
“We can't stop the flow of tourism, but we can organize ourselves. This implementation of the Urban Development Plans is quite important to have an order to the growth of Puerto Escondido and that there is also the political will to enforce that plan,” he said.
Citizens, the surfing community and people dedicated to environmental defense have played an important role in dealing with threats, however, they hope that the authorities will also contribute to protecting the environment.
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