Residents and researchers reported that leachate (toxic juices produced by garbage) leaking from the Santiago Tepatlaxco landfill, in Naucalpan, State of Mexico, contaminate the Madín dam, responsible for supplying water to the municipality and Mexico City, even for the last two years that the landfill has been closed.
“This environmental damage is successive, which means that there is no expiration date, it's happening all the time. Now, at this time that you and I are talking, leachate is arriving at the Madín dam that come from that dump,” said Miguel Miramontes, legal advisor to residents of Naucalpan during the actions for the conservation of the dam.
The Santiago Tepatlaxco landfill was closed in 2023 after an explosion due to the accumulation of methane gas buried a gang of workers, causing the death of two of them. In 2021, it had also been partially closed by the Office of the Attorney for Environmental Protection of the State of Mexico (Propaem) due to failures in its operation.
At the time, EL UNIVERSAL and a couple of local media published about the emerging reopening of the landfill from the second week of January to receive garbage from Naucalpan, but the government did not report it. Causa Natura Media contacted the municipal president, Isaac Montoya, who agreed to provide information, but he has not provided it or commented on the matter until press time.
Beyond the operation, for organized residents of Naucalpan and researchers at the Madín dam, the important thing is to address the leaks to this body of water, which has a history of contamination by waste discharges from surrounding subdivisions and leachates from the Santiago Tepatlaxco landfill.
“Regardless of the legal aspect, there is environmental damage. Environmental damage continues and is the responsibility of all authorities,” said Miramontes.
The Santiago Tepatlaxco landfill has been proposed since 2008. The promoter of the project was the company Serviços de Tecnología Ambiental, S.A. de C.V. (Setasa), which selected the site to the west of another landfill called Rincón Verde. “This selection was carried out in the first instance because the area is environmentally affected, so the site is the most suitable,” says the Environmental Impact Manifestation (MIA).
In total, more than 31 million pesos were invested divided into five stages. According to the MIA, 69% would be allocated to prevention and mitigation measures during construction and 2% would be for stormwater diversion works.
“The project in question guarantees environmental protection, preserves ecological balance and natural resources, since it minimizes the polluting effects caused by inadequate disposal of urban waste,” the company explained at the MIA.
The one in charge of operating the dump was Pro-Faj Hidrolimpia, S.A. de C.V., which is also linked to problems at the San Pedro Cholula landfill in Puebla, which was closed last year.
During the interview, Miramontes points out that the problem includes the leaders of the landfill removers. “During my time there, we never saw the company, only the leaders, but if we go to the law that 'the polluter pays', then the company must pay, but technically the damage that was done is already unquantifiable,” he said.
The State of Mexico is the main generator of urban solid waste in Mexico with a daily production of 17,000 tons, according to official figures. In addition to receiving garbage from Mexico City and, to a lesser extent, from Hidalgo.
Regarding the Madín dam, Marcela Galar, head of the Aquatic Toxicology laboratory at the National School of Biological Sciences of the National Polytechnic Institute, has carried out studies to evaluate contaminants. Among the main ones are aluminum; drugs such as diclofenac and naproxen; antibiotics such as penicillin B or penicillin G, and liquids leached from the landfill.
Currently, the responsibility lies with the new administration that began last January. “The municipal president is obliged to carry out environmental responsibility actions. Whether the filling works or not, we must check that it is controlled, that it complies with the rules,” Miramontes concluded.
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