Sewage spill that was captured last week, on Flores Magón street. Photo: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles(Ajijic).- A strong sewage spill was reported in two points of Ajijic’s waterfront last weekend. Timoteo Aldana Pérez, who is in charge of Ajijic’s Municipal System of Potable Water and Sewage, or SIMAPA, said it was due to a failure in the system.

During the afternoon of Sunday, March 13, there were numerous reports on social media that this is a recurring problem in the various drains and gutters located on the lakeshore in the town.

Aldana Perez said workers were cleaning and maintaining the drains over the weekend to help avoid future collapses. During maintenance, workers noticed that the drainage system stopped. Because this is often due to electrical failures, SIMAPA personnel reported it to the Federal Electricity Commission for repair and kept working.

The next day, a sewage spill was reported in the culvert located almost in front of the skate park. Aldana Perez spoke with commission personnel, who told him it was due to a defect in the general sump pumping system. Personnel from the treatment plant, located in San Antonio Tlayacapan, then went to repair the problem, which was due to melted connectors. When they were replaced, the leakage stopped. On Monday, March 14, SIMAPA personnel inspected collectors in the area to make sure they were clear and without collapse.

The spill on Flores Magón Street was a relief valve, which was enabled while they were performing maintenance. On Friday, the outlet was plugged so that the system could function normally.

Finally, Timoteo Perez emphasized that the collector needs to be replaced soon because of its age. He does not believe it will last more than five years working properly. He asked residents to help by not throwing waste into the drainage system. During the last cleaning, workers found bricks, pieces of wood, shoes and other debris. 

Translated by Mike Rogers