Playa del Carmen Caves and Cenotes 90% Contaminated

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — A recent analysis has revealed that 90 percent of the water in caves and cenotes in Playa del Carmen shows strong signs of contamination from human activity. The findings are the result of six months of monitoring by the citizen science group Cenotes Urbanos.

Guillermo DCristy, a member of the group, explained that the monitoring began in March using equipment acquired through citizen donations. This effort has confirmed the severe deterioration of the water resources lying beneath the city. A total of 25 bodies of water have been analyzed, with 90 percent showing contamination levels that make the water impossible to consume.

“We are finding fecal coliforms due to many circumstances. Sometimes people just run a pipe into a cave and that's where their waste goes. We, who are below, hear when they flush the toilet and the waste falls. So everything is very seriously contaminated,” recounted Guillermo DCristy.

Volunteers from the citizen science group continually visit the cenotes located beneath the urban area to verify their condition. After assessing the situation inside, they begin their analysis, which commonly concludes with the finding of severe contamination of the natural resource.

“The contamination comes in many forms. For example, chicken shops dispose of a lot of their waste. In Playa del Carmen, there is no slaughterhouse, so they dump a lot in the cenotes, which are severely affected. Many people believe the caves are for dumping their waste, but the truth is that we are all affecting ourselves,” he added.

For several months, the group has been running a fundraising campaign to continue these analyses. Interested individuals can access the online portal Selvame.org, which hosts a fundraising platform not only for this project but also for others that contribute to the rescue of natural resources.

“The work being done at this moment in favor of the defense of natural resources, of water, of something that is important for everyone, is very important,” he stated.