Tulum and Playa del Carmen Face Water Contamination Crisis

QUINTANA ROO, Mexico — A significant deficit in sanitation infrastructure and growing contamination of the aquifer are pressing environmental and public health concerns in the urban centers of Tulum and Playa del Carmen, according to local experts.

Lack of Sanitary Infrastructure in Tulum

Rapid urban growth in Tulum has surpassed the capacity for providing basic infrastructure. Currently, approximately 60 percent of the urban zone lacks sewage drainage, which severely aggravates sanitation problems.

The president of the College of Engineers of Tulum, Fernando Aznar Pavón, explained that drainage pipes are currently only being installed on two streets, while residential zones such as La Veleta and Kukulcán Avenue remain without this essential service.

He further stated that a lack of investment, an absence of foresight in the Urban Development Plan, and the sale of municipal lands have limited the available spaces for installing sanitary infrastructure.

Growing Contamination of the Aquifer in Playa del Carmen

In Playa del Carmen, the director of the organization Centinelas del Agua, Alejandro López Tamayo, warned that the discharge of black water into the subsoil is increasing the concentration of contaminants.

In the Colosio neighborhood, 70 percent of homes are not connected to the sewage network, leading to direct discharges into the aquifer and natural caves. López Tamayo recalled that a pilot project was implemented in 2022 to connect five families to the sewage system, preventing the dumping of one thousand liters of black water daily. However, the initiative was not continued.

Limited Coverage and Shared Responsibilities

According to López Tamayo, the Comisión de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado (CAPA) tallies drainage coverage simply as the passage of pipes through a street, without guaranteeing that households are actually connected. This leaves the responsibility in the hands of the users and increases the risk of marine contamination, especially on beaches where the lack of mangroves aggravates the situation.

Alternatives in Rural and Maya Communities

Faced with the infrastructure lag in rural and Maya communities, Centinelas del Agua is promoting projects such as dry toilets in Punta Laguna and Campamento Hidalgo, in addition to distributing materials to expand potable water and sanitation infrastructure.

Risks for the Quintana Roo Aquifer

A hydrological study by INEGI indicates that the principal problems of groundwater in Quintana Roo are related to quality, not quantity. Factors such as the use of agrochemicals, excessive pumping, and wastewater discharges have an immediate impact on the aquifer due to the region's geology, which is characterized by thin soils and fractured rock.

Currently, 82.46 percent of the state's population lives in 20 urban localities, generating large volumes of wastewater that are often discharged directly into the ground. Only Cancún, Chetumal, and Cozumel have partial sewer systems.

In contrast, the remaining 17.54 percent of the rural population is dispersed across more than 2,100 communities, which complicates the provision of basic infrastructure and increases their exposure to sanitary risks.