Environmental Group Demands Halt to Urban Expansion in Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo — A community environmental group is urging municipal authorities to suspend construction in wetland areas and review the town’s urban development plan, warning that accelerating growth threatens local ecosystems and strains public services.

The collective Toma las Aguas submitted a letter signed by 1,611 residents asking the city to halt new urban projects in karst wetlands, cenotes and groundwater recharge zones. Under the written request, municipal officials have 10 business days to respond.

“Puerto Morelos cannot be understood solely as land available for urban growth; it is also a territory of life, refuge, reproduction and connectivity for numerous species,” the group said. “Growth is not synonymous with development: growing means increasing in size, while developing means evolving in a comprehensive, orderly and sustainable manner.”

Tensions escalated on Aug. 24, when smoke from wildfires filled homes and exposed a lack of municipal planning. The smoke, which has also affected residents’ health, prompted residents to question the official concept of development.

Toma las Aguas said its demand is not against development, housing or investment. “It is against urban growth that advances faster than the municipality’s capacity to supply water, drainage, waste management and services,” the collective said. “Such disorderly growth threatens the health and well-being of residents, the water supply in the northern zone and the identity of Puerto Morelos.”

The group also alleged irregularities in the approval of the Urban Development Program. Residents said they warned during a 2024 public consultation that the municipality lacked a current local ecological zoning plan, but the town council nevertheless published the program in February 2026. Officials rejected the citizens’ observations in April, after the legal deadline, according to the collective.

“We do not want Puerto Morelos to lose what gives it identity and value,” the group said. “We do not want our jungle replaced indiscriminately with concrete. We do not want our aquifers put at risk. We do not want urban growth to advance faster than our services. We do not want our species displaced from their territory. We do not want residents to become used to living among smoke, waste, traffic, pollution and a lack of infrastructure.”