Yucatán’s Cenotes at Risk Amid Industry Push

Mérida, Yucatán — The government of Yucatán has issued a new decree to protect its karst aquifer, but the protected area has been reduced in size. The decree comes as industries such as Heineken announce their arrival in the region, while pig farms continue to operate with impunity.

A Vulnerable Aquifer Under Threat

The Yucatán Peninsula’s aquifer is the most important underground hydrological reserve in Mexico and internationally, serving as the primary water source for the population and economic activities. However, its karst nature makes it highly susceptible to contamination. Pollutants dumped in one area can quickly spread through underground flows, affecting vast regions.

In an effort to safeguard the aquifer, the Yucatán government published Decree 88/2025 in July 2025, modifying the existing Reserva Estatal Geohidrológica Anillo de Cenotes (State Geohydrological Reserve of the Ring of Cenotes). While the decree aims to guarantee the right to a healthy environment, experts and communities question its effectiveness amid growing industrial pressure.

A Confusing and Insufficient Decree

Decree 88/2025 replaces Decree 117/2013, which established the Área Natural Protegida Anillo de Cenotes (Protected Natural Area of the Ring of Cenotes). The new regulation divides the reserve into four subzones—recharge, transit, and discharge areas—spanning 54 municipalities.

However, the total protected area has been reduced from 219,207.83 hectares in 2013 to 213,737.2801 hectares. Only 23 municipalities are now included in the reserve where industrial activities harming the aquifer are prohibited. Key areas, such as the Subzone 1 recharge zone—home to Mérida, Kanasín, and Umán, which account for 60% of the state’s population—remain unprotected.

Experts consulted for this report, who requested anonymity, expressed skepticism: “There is widespread distrust in these protected area decrees because they have not worked in practice. Authorities have repeatedly modified boundaries and regulations to favor industrial interests rather than protect the aquifer.”

A Decree Without Proper Planning

In recent years, Yucatán’s water system has been strained by industrial activities, including pig farms and breweries. Heineken’s planned facility in Kanasín, for example, aims to produce 400 million liters of beer annually, requiring over a million cubic meters of freshwater per year. The plant will be located between two critical water reserves—Cuxtal and the Ring of Cenotes—but outside the protected zone, exempting it from the decree’s regulations.

Despite the environmental risks, the new decree lacks a management plan to regulate industrial operations. José Clemente May, spokesperson for the organization Kanan Ts’ono’ot, which has opposed pig farms in Homún, criticized the government’s approach:

“The new decree is another lock that could block megaprojects. But like the 2013 decree, it still has no management plan. I hope this time it won’t be manipulated to favor corporate interests, as in the past. The government says one thing and does another.”

Academics echoed these concerns, stating that while the decree’s language sounds promising, there is little evidence it will ensure environmental protection. “The Ring of Cenotes has never had a management plan since its creation. Projects to develop one have stalled, and no concrete actions have been taken.”

Justice Beyond the Decree

According to data supporting the decree, Yucatán extracts 980 hm³ of water annually from the Ring of Cenotes, with 12.40 hm³ used for livestock. Wastewater discharges total 32.39 hm³ per year, nearly half of which comes from pig farms. Contaminants detected in groundwater include pesticides, herbicides, solvents, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals like lead, copper, and cadmium.

Industrial pig and poultry farming has expanded rapidly in Yucatán, driven by private capital and a contract farming model linking small producers to corporations like Kekén, Bachoco, and Crío. Despite community resistance, Yucatán is now Mexico’s fifth-largest pork producer.

A 2023 SEMARNAT report revealed that over 60% of pig farms lack permits from CONAGUA. Their wastewater, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and E. coli, exceeds legal limits set by NOM-001-SEMARNAT-2021 for karst soils.

José May noted that strict enforcement would shut down most farms: “If the law were applied, no farm would meet scientific standards. But the government always sides with corporations, not the people.”

Legal victories, such as a court order forcing the Homún mega-farm to shut down, have been delayed by bureaucratic hurdles. Experts warn that without urgent action, the crisis will worsen:

“Studies have long shown the severity of water contamination. The future is already here—this is a water war. Decrees alone won’t solve it without real enforcement.”