CAPA to Take Over Northern Quintana Roo Water Services

Chetumal — The Quintana Roo Potable Water and Sewer Commission (CAPA) has declared itself ready to take control of drinking water and sewer services in the municipalities of the state's northern zone, once the legal processes for the withdrawal of the concession granted to Aguakan are concluded. The announcement was made by the agency's director general, Hugo Federico Garza Sáenz, during his appearance before the XVIII Legislature of the State Congress, where he assured that CAPA possesses the necessary technical, operational, and human capacity to immediately assume administration of the system when the contract termination is finalized.

Garza Sáenz explained that the commission maintains a presence in the four municipalities concessioned to Aguakan through its delegations, which currently supervise the company's performance and verify compliance with the obligations established in the concession title. "We have complete information about the operation, coverage, and state of the infrastructure. We know exactly where the deficiencies are and what actions must be undertaken to guarantee an efficient service," he stated before the legislators.

The official added that, in the event of assuming operations, they do not contemplate dismissing Aguakan's operational staff, but rather plan to leverage their experience in managing plants, pumping stations, and distribution networks. "There are people with a lot of experience who know the system. The idea is to integrate them into CAPA's work and support them so they continue to contribute their knowledge," he detailed.

During his exposition, Garza Sáenz reiterated that the state agency has worked on a training and operational diagnostic process in recent years, which allows it to be prepared for an eventual service transition. "We are not improvising. For some time, a deep technical and legal analysis has been carried out on the conditions in which the concessionaire operates. That is why we can affirm that CAPA is in a position to assume control as soon as the law determines," he stated.

Legality and Ongoing Litigation

Questioned by deputies Ricardo Velasco and Andrea González, of Morena, about the status of the lawsuits to recover the concession, Garza Sáenz withheld the details, arguing that the legal procedures require discretion while they are in progress. He explained only that the processes are developing along different paths, including criminal, civil, administrative, and amparo (constitutional protection) avenues, and that, so far, all are advancing favorably for the State.

"They are complex procedures in different instances, but we are confident that the results will be positive. In due time, when the legal framework allows it, we will make the progress and resolutions public," he expressed.

The director of CAPA emphasized that, although the topic generates great public interest, the agency must maintain reserve so as not to undermine the legal strategies. "There is a procedural secrecy that we must respect. This does not mean opacity, but responsibility for the due process," he pointed out.

Aguakan's Performance and Non-Compliance

During the legislative session, the head of CAPA also reported that the concessionaire Aguakan has failed various performance and compliance audits regarding coverage, management, and service quality. He explained that the company has already been notified for a final evaluation, in which it must deliver detailed information about its operations and investment plans.

He stated that one of the main non-compliances detected is the lack of execution of the investments committed to in the five-year plans, especially regarding the expansion of the sanitary sewer system in Cancún. He pointed out that, due to the concessionaire's omission, the Benito Juárez City Council has had to allocate its own resources to cover works that originally corresponded to the company.

"This is a situation that should not occur, because the contract obliges Aguakan to invest in the expansion of the service. From CAPA, we are promoting the necessary administrative mechanisms so that the company assumes those responsibilities and carries out the pending investments," he maintained.

Challenges in Irregular Settlements

The director of CAPA also stressed the legal restrictions faced by both the state agency and the concessionaire itself when introducing services in irregular settlements. He mentioned that the law prevents investing public resources in areas that are not municipalized, which has stalled the expansion of the water and sewer system in various popular neighborhoods.

"This is a structural problem that affects the entire state, not just Aguakan or CAPA. As long as the neighborhoods are not regularized, public resources cannot be used for infrastructure works. This creates backlogs and inequality in access to services," he indicated.

Garza Sáenz referred to ongoing coordination with municipal and state authorities to advance regularization processes, so that potable water and sewerage can later be provided to these communities.

Storm Drainage Project for Chetumal

Another topic addressed during the appearance was the executive project for storm drainage in the city of Chetumal, which seeks to comprehensively address the floods that recurrently affect the state capital. The head of CAPA said the study was prepared by the company Innovación y Estrategias para el Desarrollo, with an investment of 7 million 420 thousand pesos, and covers nine critical flooding points in the city.

The preliminary results indicate that it will be necessary to construct five stormwater collectors in strategic areas such as the Nachan Ka'an stadium, the Las Casitas neighborhood, the Arboledas subdivision, Maxuxac Avenue, and the Payo Obispo neighborhood.

The execution of the works will require an estimated investment of more than 500 million pesos, and its purpose will be to resolve a problem that has been aggravated by urban growth and the obsolescence of the existing storm drainage. "The areas that flood today are not the same ones identified in the Risk Atlas years ago. The city has changed, the topography has been modified, and that forces us to update the hydraulic infrastructure," he mentioned.

The official highlighted that this project will allow for the design of long-term solutions and the planning of future investments based on solid technical studies.

Debt and Legislative Collaboration

During his report, the head of CAPA specified that, to date in the current administration, no property has been seized for debts with the agency, although commercial users in arrears have had their services shut off. He stated that, as part of a policy to support families and small businesses, 86 million 324 thousand pesos in debts, fines, and surcharges have been forgiven for 3,110 users in the last three years, with the municipality of Othón P. Blanco concentrating two-thirds of the beneficiaries.

He acknowledged that CAPA's overdue portfolio remains considerable, as there are uncollectible accounts up to a decade old. Consequently, he accepted the legislators' proposal to create a working group to analyze possible reforms to the Potable Water and Sewerage Law, in order to update collection mechanisms and facilitate agreements with users.