Maya Train Construction Sparks Environmental Alarm

Guillermo D’christy, a member of the environmental group 'Sélvame del Tren' Collective, has raised concerns about the ongoing environmental damage caused by the Maya Train construction project. He highlighted the issue of diesel and concrete spills in caves and cenotes, which are natural sinkholes, along the train route.

Recently, images were released showing the environmental impact in various caves along Section 5 of the Maya Train route. D’christy explained that these images represent just a fraction of the damage, with at least "122 caves that we have registered in Section 5” being affected. "This is not the first report we've made of concrete spills, but it is one of the ones where we've repeatedly found a strong smell of diesel and dirty water," he said.

D’christy expressed disappointment that despite government assurances and legal protections in place to prevent such incidents, they continue to occur. "It's already affecting us in what is visible, in addition to this which is more than evident, just the fact of having more than 15,000 concrete and steel piles along Section 5 where we've already proved there are concrete spills, diesel spills and hydrocarbons spills. Ultimately, all this is reaching the aquifer," he added.

He lamented the broader environmental impact of the project, stating, "All of this is pollution and the most important and saddest thing is that, well, it's a project that started with many illegalities. It seems that people don't care that trees were cut down or lands were violated where they were not supposed to be. The opportunity to have a mixed heritage area catalogued by UNESCO was lost, which does not seem important to them."

The Maya Train construction project continues to be a contentious issue, with environmentalists like D’christy and the 'Sélvame del Tren' Collective voicing their concerns over the ongoing damage to the local environment.