SIMAPA will address the drainage problems to avoid discharges in Ajijic
Niños Héroes street drainage system. Their problem of constant spills has been going on for more than a year
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).– For more than a year leaking sewage drains on Flores Magón, Francisco Villa and Niños Héroes streets in Ajijic have caused problems. The person in charge of the Municipal System of Potable Water and Sewage (SIMAPA) Ajijic, Timoteo Aldana Pérez, explained that this problem is due to a six-year lack of maintenance in the system of drainage collectors.
«The drains, the collectors, and the pipes have to receive maintenance at least once a year. Also, like anything else, they have a lifespan, so at some point they must be changed,» he shared.
Aldana said that there are two factors that cause sewage to accumulate and overflow. Waste that should not be thrown into the drain, such as sanitary napkins, clothes, bricks, and pieces of mattress. When pipes collapse, soil seeps into the drain and blocks the pipe. He has checked the state of the pipes from Flores Magón to Niños Héroes and plans to use a truck with a pressure pumping system, called a Vactor. He will also use a roto-probe to remove the debris plugs where necessary and to repair the collapsed pipes where needed.
«We have been aware of the problem since the first week we assumed office. Repairs have not been possible because the lake level was too high to intervene. If we had tried, the water would have seeped into the drains causing them to collapse. We could do it now, but the Vactor is broken. We hope that we will be able to start on Monday,» added Aldana.
He also asserted that it is a complicated job that can take at least three days for cleanup alone and require 10 to 15 workers. It is a continuous job “making it more complicated.” Neither the showers nor the toilets can be stopped. Every day would require at least five hours.»
«It is disgusting and even a source of infection.,” complained one of the neighbors on Flores Magón Street., adding that, “the seepage has not stopped for a long time. In this drain even the sewage has dried up. That mud around the drain, it’s waste and filth. We’ve even lost hope that they can fix it, after they almost destroyed it with the work on the choked pavement, and they just left it there.»
Aldana said that it is not only embarrassing, but it is also not good for health. «The system was made for another time, for another capacity, and now it is difficult to make any repairs, because much of the collector is under the seawall. Hopefully it will not be required soon, but if maintenance is not provided, it could collapse at any moment,» he concluded.
Translated by Nita Rudy
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