In addition to cave collapses and the presence of substances such as diesel in cenotes, there are perforations and the filling of at least 10 caves due to the construction of Section 5 of the Maya Train, which runs from Cancun to Tulum, in Quintana Roo.
“The first major impact was the removal of vegetation cover, because although it apparently doesn't impact the cave, those surrounding trees are ecosystems that coexist. Then we have more direct impacts, such as drilling holes for soil mechanics studies in some places. And in some cases, the impact has been completely directed, as there are records of caverns that have been filled,” explained Guillermo D'Christy, a water treatment consultant and member of the Cenotes Urbanos collective.
Photo: Guillermo D'Christy
According to data from this group, the cave named “Yorogana”, located in Playa del Carmen, received more than 10 perforations during soil mechanics studies. The “White Lady” cave, so called because a species of endemic blind fish inhabits it, also has perforations and its sinkhole, that is, the entrance, was filled in half, although the federal government denied these damages.
“When we arrived, they were already being filled in or had already been filled in, or those that we had detected suddenly disappeared. We have photographs and videos in some cases where they were filled out in direct violation of municipal regulations for the protection of cenotes and caves, and the same regulations of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, because many of them are home to species protected by Official Mexican Standard 059,” said D'Christy.
On the other hand, in the cave named “Oppenheimer”, which is connected to “Manitas”, a cave where rock paintings and archaeological remains were found, a possible runoff of diesel was detected, although a water quality test has not been carried out there to confirm it.
The Cenotes Urbanos collective has reported that since a large portion of the jungle was deforested, the temperature in some caves has risen. They have also begun to report the presence of a “white paste” on the surface of some cenotes, which could be the very material that comes off the walls due to the vibrations of the machinery or the filtration of construction materials.
In addition, when authorities began mapping the cave systems of Section 5, they found broken speleothems, stalactites, and stalagmites.
In total, there are 119 cenotes and caverns that are located under Section 5 where the Mayan Train will pass in Quintana Roo, and which could be strongly impacted by the work being carried out there, including the installation of around 16,000 piles (pillar-shaped foundations) on the aquifer mantle to build an elevated viaduct.
Photo: Elizabeth Ruíz
“The damage that is being generated is immeasurable and that is part of what we have been asking for more than a year: what studies support, what will be affected and what will not be affected. The Environmental Impact Statement they delivered, a hesitation. For them, there is no underground system as such and although they mention karst, there is no future projection of what the possible consequences could be,” said D'Christy.
Photo: Guillermo D'Christy.
One of the consequences that most worries activists and specialists is that as a result of the operation of the megaproject, a water stress crisis could break out in the Yucatan Peninsula, since there will be less and less fresh water available, and that will put a great deal of pressure on flora and fauna.
“There will begin to be a desertification process in what was a healthy jungle until a year ago. And another big problem is water quality. Even at the beginning of the year, on the same pages of the National Water Commission, you could see that 50% of the wells it studies were contaminated,” said the specialist.
The Legal Struggle
In March 2022, representatives of civil organizations filed, with advice from the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA), two requests for amparo to stop the works, for their violations of the right to a healthy environment and to water.
For CEMDA's lawyer, Aarón Siller, the work presented several serious irregularities from the start, including the fact that the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) was issued after the works began and does not include any of the changes in layout or the construction of the elevated viaduct.
“They forgot about several procedures: from adequate indigenous consultation in the terms established by the International Labour Organization, in the language of the communities. There was a simulation of a freehand consultation that does not represent at all how an indigenous consultation should be done. In addition, the manifestations of environmental impact were fragmented into different sections, which prevents an objective analysis of the cumulative and synergistic impacts and the big picture of what the Mayan Train causes,” he said.
Presidency. Photo: Dark room.
The work has had at least seven layout changes: first, it had been proposed that it be built on highway 307, which extends from Cancun to Chetumal. The route then moved to the jungle, where approximately 8.7 million trees were felled, according to estimates by the Cenotes Urbanos collective.
“They said there were no cenotes, then yes. Then they were going to build piles, that there were only going to be a few bridges and now it turns out that everything is with piles. It is a sadly improvised work that makes it difficult to measure the environmental impact, in addition to the fact that the piles have caused endless damage to the aquifer. We are not even certain about the impacts because they were not well identified or declared,” said Siller.
Despite the protests and legal remedies, work continues, and for this reason, activists urge the Presidency of the Republic not to continue with the project in that area.
The amparos are currently in the First District Court in Yucatán. Its processes have been slow and CEMDA has filed complaints about the delays. So far they have achieved a temporary suspension of work, but it was not respected.
“They continued to deforest and so on. Yes, there were complaints. They were not heard or, at least, no measures were ordered on the part of the Judge to guarantee the suspension, as it should have been,” said the CEMDA lawyer.
For this reason, both specialists and activists urged federal authorities to stop the Maya Train project starting from Section 5, since the progress of works in that area is scarce due to all the setbacks that have resulted from trying to build on such fragile soil.
“Starting from Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, there's nothing. There are piles in some parts, but there are literally open caves along the way, such as' Oppenheimer ', another one called 'Fall of the Train', which was a very small hole at the beginning and with the work of the machines vibrating around it collapsed. It's a farce that this is going to start (train operations). Sections 5, 6 and 7 are not feasible. Engineering can solve a lot of things with a lot of money and planning, but at the cost of what,” questioned environmental activist Cristina Nolasco.
They reiterated that the government is in time to rectify before causing greater damage to the cave systems, the Mayan jungle and the aquifer of the peninsula.
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