Tulum Concrete Plant Closed Over Chemical Spill

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Municipal authorities in Tulum have shuttered a plant owned by the company MX Concreto, located near the Yaax Mul cenote, after detecting an alleged spill of oils and chemical residues in a jungle area of high environmental sensitivity.

Sergio Canto Contreras, Director of Civil Protection and Firefighters of Tulum, confirmed that the measure was taken following a citizen's complaint that alerted authorities to possible contamination in the area. During an inspection, personnel from the department identified irregularities in safety measures and waste handling within the facility.

"The closure was carried out to prevent greater damage while the magnitude of the environmental impact is determined. State and federal authorities have been notified so they can carry out the corresponding investigations," the official reported.

According to reports, a dark, oily liquid was observed seeping from the plant's perimeter wall into the vegetation and subsoil. Images captured by inspectors point to a direct discharge of industrial waste, which raised alarms over the risk of contamination to the aquifer and the interconnected system of cenotes that supply water to the region.

The plant is situated in a particularly vulnerable ecological environment, where any dumping of toxic substances could cause serious damage to the natural balance and the quality of the groundwater in the Mexican Caribbean.

Civil Protection of Tulum urged all local industries to strictly comply with environmental and safety regulations, especially those near bodies of water or protected zones, to avoid irreversible damage to the municipality's ecosystems.

The case has been referred to the competent authorities, who will determine the applicable sanctions and corrective measures for the company, based on the results of water and soil analyses that are already underway.