Cancún Lagoon Faces Pollution Crisis

Cancún, Mexico — An individual visiting Cancún's Laguna Nichupté has reported seeing what appears to be a discharge of sewage into the tourist area of the city. The person has called on authorities to investigate the cause of this problem.

According to the informant, the visit to the Cancún Hotel Zone took place on the morning of Thursday, November 13 of this year. The individual took several photographs that would show the alleged contamination.

"Today, at approximately 10:00 am, I went to Laguna Nichupté with the purpose of seeing the place, as I am a tourist and was interested in appreciating its natural beauty. However, upon getting out of the vehicle, I noticed a strong smell of wastewater, in addition to observing foam on the water's surface, which indicates a possible discharge of pollutants into the lagoon body," said a person by the name of Alexis Jonapa.

According to the images taken by this tourist, a dark tone can be seen in the water, which is presumably due to a sewage discharge in the lagoon of the Cancún Hotel Zone. In addition to this, there is the pestilent odor that the tourist also reported upon visiting the area where the Nichupté Bridge is currently under construction, a major project that has been underway in the destination for several months.

It is worth noting that it was recently revealed that some students conducted a meticulous investigation of the water in Cancún's Laguna Nichupté. They discovered up to 2,400 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water, when the ecological standard allows a maximum of 200.

One of the students detailed that thanks to periodic samples taken over the course of a year, they also found alterations in pH and salinity due to the accumulation of nutrients.

Another conclusion of this study indicates that the pollution comes from fecal coliforms, bacteria from the intestinal tract of animals and humans, with higher concentrations in front of the businesses located in the areas near the lagoon.

The students even stated that the site should no longer be considered for recreational activities due to the contamination, and because due to rapid urban growth, the wastewater treatment plants are no longer sufficient.

To this must be added that environmentalists have warned that the construction of the Nichupté Bridge in Cancún could also contaminate the lagoon in the short and long term.