Punta Esmeralda Access Road Work Lacks Environmental Permit, Biologist Warns

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The municipal government of Solidaridad committed environmental offenses by starting rehabilitation work on the access road to Punta Esmeralda beach without an environmental impact statement (MIA), biologist Gabriel Robles warned.

Robles, president of the Playa del Carmen College of Biologists, said the omission puts at risk a mangrove ecosystem that shields urban areas from flooding. Without authorization from the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), he said, the project has no legal backing and exposes the municipality to civil, criminal and environmental sanctions.

23 million peso contract

The project began on Aug. 31, 2026, with an investment of 23 million pesos. The contract, registered under tender SIyOP-FORTAMUN-013-2026, was awarded to the company of Carlos Gualberto Calam Cuesta. The work consists of rehabilitating the dirt road that runs from Quinta Avenida in the Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta neighborhood to the federal maritime-terrestrial zone (Zofemat) leading to Punta Esmeralda.

Robles explained that the route crosses a strip of mangroves that is the main habitat for numerous animal species. Filling the area without leaving transverse connections interrupts the hydrological flow: rainwater and overflow lose their natural channel and spill into urban zones.

“Blocking, filling or fragmenting a mangrove ecosystem drastically alters its water flow and its structure,” the specialist said, warning that this triggers serious risks for coastal communities.

Permit required before work began

Under federal regulations, the municipality should have filed the MIA with Semarnat’s General Directorate of Environmental Impact and Risk (DGIRA) before starting any work in the area. Only after a favorable ruling from that agency could the project proceed without violating the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA).

By skipping that step, the municipal administration left itself open to the closure of the worksite and to criminal liability for environmental damage.