Clausura simbólica del dragado reportado en Alceseca, el pasado mayo del 2021. En la foto se pueden observar las huellas del trabajo recién realizado por la maquinaria. Foto: Archivo.
Sofía Medeles.- La Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) descartó la denuncia interpuesta por activistas de Ajijic, por el dragado en el territorio federal del Lago de Chapala en la playa conocida como la Alceseca.
Esta denuncia dirigida a quien resultara responsable se presentó en junio del año pasado, señalando la extracción de arena por un dragado para la construcción de un muelle flotante.
Al menos cuatro abogados de Ajijic acompañaron el proceso legal por aproximadamente diez meses, para que tanto la FGR como la Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA) desecharan el caso, ya que no encontraron pruebas en el lugar de los hechos, pese a las múltiples evidencias presentadas por los ajijitecos.
“La denuncia se presentó en la sede de la FGR en Ocotlán, ya que es a la que corresponde la región. La Policía Investigadora arribó a la zona a realizar sus investigaciones, y en agosto nos dijeron que debíamos ir a CONAGUA a denunciar. Se envió un oficio a CONAGUA, el cual nunca fue respondido, así que se inició un amparo, que se solucionó en diciembre, donde se determina que la institución está obligada a realizar sus investigaciones para continuar con el caso”, informó uno de los abogados consultados.
El entrevistado compartió que al realizar la CONAGUA un recorrido por la zona, resolvió que no se encontró nada de lo denunciado, por ende, la Fiscalía dispuso que no había delito que perseguir, dejando de lado, tanto el acta de hechos que un notario hizo el día la detención del dragado, como las múltiples fotografías, videos, y testigos que documentaron el hecho.
“Fue cansado, porque fue un proceso legal en tiempo y forma. En la manifestación ante CONAGUA, quienes recibieron a los manifestantes, los alentaron a denunciar por la vía legal, cosa que es una contradicción por su actuar en este proceso. Fue un ejercicio revelador en el mal sentido, ya que dejan entrever la falta de capacidad y vocación. A la autoridad no les importan los temas ambientales, y si instituciones federales no les interesa, a las municipales o estatales, menos. Esto queda como antecedente para evidenciar la negativa de las autoridades para intervenir”, aseguró el abogado.
El dragado fue denunciado el 20 de mayo del 2021 mediante redes sociales con videos que captaron como varios camiones de volteo sacaron varios viajes de arena.
La denuncia formal ante la FGR se presentó en junio del 2021. En enero de este año fue cuando se anunció que el amparo había sido solucionado, pidiendo a la CONAGUA colaboración para esclarecer el señalamiento ilícito. En recientes fechas, se prescindió del caso, por “no haber nada en la playa” donde ocurrió el dragado.
Faced with water shortages in San Juan Cosalá, citizens opt to get containers for water. Photo: Alma Serrano
Alma Serrano (San Juan Cosalá).- The drought is worsening and the solutions have not arrived. Inhabitants of the delegation of San Juan Cosalá continue to suffer from the shortage of drinking water.
After the collapse of the Zaragoza well in March of last year and the usual shortage typical of the hot season, the people of San Juan Cosalá have had to adapt to living with the limited availability of water.
«I bought a tub that holds about 200 liters of water to conserve it when there is nothing. We use it to wash dishes normally, and when there is no water in the water tank, we also use it for the bathroom, because there is not always enough to wash clothes, so in the house we wash practically what we need because we don’t know when we will have no water,» commented a 60 year old resident.
Although both the operator of Agua Potable, Samuel Tolentino Alvarado, and the delegate, Carlos Vázquez Reyes, said that they were working to solve the problem, so far the shortage persists.
Citizens say that they have had at least four months with little water and they are dissatisfied with the action to solve the problem.
«It’s been a long time and you get tired of hauling water, of being aware of when there will be water, of managing and prioritizing it, and there has been no solution,» said an annoyed resident.
It was last March 13 when the municipal authorities announced the collapse of the Zaragoza well due to a failure in the motor, severely affecting the supply of drinking water to the homes in San Juan Cosalá.
«The motor was damaged because the well is throwing a lot of sand and the sand gets inside the motor, and while it is being sucked up it jams it. The operators have to remove the motor and maybe they will restore the well or build a new structure to put in another motor», explained Samuel Tolentino, the water operator.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel with microphone in hand, in front of the San Nicolás de Ibarra community committee. Photo: Jazmín Stengel
Jazmín Stengel-Chapala. The Government of Chapala has canceled the permit to connect 30 new homes in the “San Nicolás” subdivision in the adjacent Vista del Lago development that would allowed it to connect San Nicolás de Ibarra’s water system and well.
«The well will not be touched,» said the mayor of Chapala, Alejandro Aguirre Curiel, before some 300 community activists who met with him on the corner of Juárez and Morelos streets on Monday, April 25. «We are not going to give water to this subdivision, you have my word, we are going to cancel this permit», said the mayor during the meeting which lasted about an hour. They also asked for the dismissal of the spokesperson of the SIMAPA Chapala Council, Ricardo Razo and the Administrator of SIMAPA San Nicolás.
Before those present, who in previous days had protested because the subdivision wanted to connect to the town’s network, Aguirre Curiel committed to regulate all authorized developments in the municipality before issuing any more permits.
Based on density demands promoted under the municipal Urban Development Plan, Curiel action can avoid injunctions by private companies, and require them to supply services to their developments themselves and not connect to the municipal systems.
«So far in our government we have not authorized a single permit nor do we have any in the pipeline, until we regulate all those that are authorized,» he assured the citizens.
Aguirre Curiel insisted that the misunderstandings of the April 20 meeting between authorities and the community were due to the mishandling of information by the person in charge of the delegation and public officials of the City Hall, who should have been clear about denying the connection to the water well from the beginning. The neighbors asked the authorities to respect the official letter that was distributed to record the deal made during the meeting and that the administration of the water be once again managed by the community. They asked to be notified of the income and expenses on a regular basis.
In addition, the residents requested the appointment of Luis Morales Contreras as a member of the Board of SIMAPA Chapala and Irma Reyes Delgado as Administrator of SIMAPA San Nicolás.
Translated by Mary Woods.
El recrudecimiento del estiaje podría afectar en el abasto de agua potable de la ciudadanía. Foto: Archivo.
Redacción.- Se recrudecerá el estiaje. El Monitor de Sequía de la Comisión Nacional del Agua (Conagua), reportó que Chapala y Jocotepec se encuentran entre los 57 municipios de Jalisco que presentan un nivel de sequía “severa”.
De acuerdo con la actualización del órgano, en 113 de los 125 de Jalisco hay condiciones de sequía entre “moderada” y “severa”, por lo que la afectación por el estiaje será prácticamente generalizada en la entidad.
Junto a las dos poblaciones ribereñas mencionadas, todos los municipios que integran la Zona Metropolitana de Guadalajara (ZMG), así como Colotlán, Mezquitic, Ameca, Tala, Lagos de Moreno y Tepatitlán, son los más afectados por la situación.
La Conagua detalló que en el pasado temporal de lluvias se registró falta de precipitación en la zona de la Sierra Madre Occidental, así como temperaturas más cálidas que el promedio en la Región Centro Occidente del país. Estas causas incrementaron la sequía en Jalisco.
En contraste, son 12 las localidades clasificadas como “anormalmente secas” o sin problemas: Puerto Vallarta, Cabo Corrientes, Cihuatlán, Ayotlán, Cuautitlán de García Barragán, Degollado, Jesús María, Tolimán, Tonila, Tuxcacuesco, San Gabriel y Zapotitlán de Vadillo.
Por otro lado, el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional recordó que la temporada de huracanes iniciará el 15 de mayo en el Océano Pacífico, mientras que en el Atlántico es a partir del 1 de junio . Se proyecta que las lluvias comenzarán a regularizarse en la segunda quincena de junio, con las ondas tropicales, ciclones y el ingreso de humedad.
Con información de El Informador.
Ceremonia de apertura, del viernes 22 de abril. Foto: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles.– Con éxito y buenos comentarios de los asistentes, aunque con muy poca participación local, se llevó a cabo la primera conmemoración del Día de la Tierra en Ajijic. Mediante una serie de conferencias y actividades, se buscó concientizar a los asistentes sobre el cuidado del medio ambiente durante tres días.
Durante la celebración, que tuvo lugar los días 22, 23 y 24 de abril, hubo una asistencia aproximada de entre 500 y 600 personas, es decir, de 150 a 200 personas cada día. Aunque mayormente asistieron adultos, también hubo varios niños interesados.
El primer día se inició con una ceremonia de apertura, la cual consistió en pedir permiso a los elementos y deidades para realizar respetuosamente las actividades programadas; y el último día, durante la clausura, se le hizo un tributo y ofrenda al Lago de Chapala.
Las conferencias fueron con activistas que han logrado salvaguardar la integridad tanto del vaso lacustre como de las montañas, por ejemplo, Manuel Villagómez Rodríguez, Luis Valdivia Ornelas, Raquel Gutiérrez Nájera y el ajijiteco Julio Carmona; por otro lado, también hubo presentaciones musicales cinematográficas, y puntos informativos y venta de productos ecológicos.
“Creo que el evento fue efectivo tanto en la calidad profesional y académica de los presentadores. Creo que fue muy ambicioso hacerlo en tres días ya que demanda una mayor afluencia de público. Hubo tres enfoques relevantes que surgieron del evento: que se puede y se ha podido ganar batallas de este tipo, que se necesita urgentemente que el Lago de Chapala se convierta en sitio Ramsar, que se haga un mapeo de áreas en peligro y reservadas, donde se defina dónde no comprar o construir, petición que fue solicitada por la comunidad extranjera de manera colectiva”, compartió Noris Binet, una de las organizadoras. No obstante, el Lago de Chapala ya es considerado sitio Ramsar, es decir un humedal de suma importancia en el planeta.
Por su parte, Sihara Casillas Gaeta, otra de las organizadoras, comentó que este tipo de eventos ayuda a conocer el tipo de terrenos en las que la población vive, en este caso cuerpos acuíferos, y hacer un recuento de cómo la corrupción ha contribuido al deterioro de depósitos naturales de agua, lo cual ayuda a estar más al pendiente.
Jane Custer, quien fue la encargada de hacer las traducciones en el evento, compartió que le dio mucho gusto ver a la comunidad mexicana y extranjera de Ajijic, juntos en un lugar, además de adquiriendo conocimiento para proteger el Lago y el medio ambiente.
Noris manifestó que, en los próximos años, cree que el evento podría mejorar en cuanto a la participación local, involucrando desde los vecinos hasta miembros de comunidades indígenas, hablando de sus problemáticas relacionadas con temas medioambientales. Sus planes en puerta son hacer un documento oficial donde se recapitulen los puntos más importantes del evento que será presentado ante las autoridades gubernamentales, así como la creación de un observatorio ciudadano y académico para la supervisión y denuncias en materia de destrucción del medio ambiente.
El incendio en el cerro de El Comal consumió 45 hectáreas de bosque. Foto: Ayuntamiento de Poncitlán.
Redacción.- Al menos 45 hectáreas forestales fueron consumidas tras un incendio registrado del Área Natural Protegida del cerro El Comal, en la comunidad de Mezcala de la Asunción, municipio de Poncitlán, durante la mañana del 25 de abril.
Más de 10 horas de trabajo y 26 descargas de agua de la presa de San Juan Tecomatlán, acarreadas por el helicóptero “Witare” de La Secretaría de Desarrollo Territorial (SEMADET), fueron necesarias para controlar el incendio.
El incendio que inició a las 11:00 de la mañana del pasado lunes, tuvo la participación de la Asociación Intermunicipal para la Protección del Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable (AIPROMADES) del Lago de Chapala, además de 15 voluntarios de Mezcala, 10 d Casa Blanca y de las autoridades municipales.
Event organizers and participants (from left to right): Nora Maldonado, Nora’s daughter Sol, and Noris Binet. Photo: Sofía Medeles
Sofia Medeles (Ajijic).- The activities of the Earth Day celebration on April 22, 23 and 24 were designed not only to raise awareness through the knowledge shared by the exhibitors and groups that attended, but also by means of the spiritual and educational aspects of the native history of the Chapala lakeside.
Two of the organizers, Noris Binet and Nora Maldonado, explained that spiritual elements and themes are included to promote an awareness that will be deeper and leave more of an impression on the attendees, without dismissing the work of the researchers and professionals who will be presenting.
Nora, who is part of the group «Guardians of the Lake,» said that spiritual events included an offering to the lake, in which flowers, fruits, seeds and other things that do not interfere with the flora and fauna of the ecosystem were left on the shore of the lake. This offering was on Sunday April 24 at 6:00 pm, as part of the closing of the festival.
They also said that their goal is to make this event an annual event and to involve more and more lakeside towns, as well as schools of all levels, and to involve students in the activities.
Some of the scheduled activities included conferences with activists such as Manuel Villagómez Rodríguez and Luis Valdivia, musical shows, eco-friendly technology exhibitions and children’s art contests.
Among the organizers are Douglas Reid, Sihara Casillas Gaeta and Noris Binet.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
Young people during the rescue of children tangled in nets. This happened in March, next to the Ajijic pier. Photo: Facebook
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Due to the danger that abandoned fishing nets pose near the shores of the lake, the acting Ajijic delegate, Maximiano Macías Arceo, said that he is seeking to have them removed, and is looking for the means and people who can help with the removal.
Within the last eighteen months, there have been instances reported in which the abandoned nets cause problems for tourists and people swimming near them, as well as for the fauna of the lake. In March, two children were trapped in the nets and had to be rescued by municipal authorities.
Macías Arceo said that he has been concerned about the situation for some time and recently met with the president of the Lake Chapala Fishermen’s Union, José Luis Morales Gutiérrez, to seek a solution to the problem. He pointed out that those responsible for removal are the fishermen’s cooperatives together with the Rural Development Department and the National Commission of Agriculture and Fisheries (CONAPESCA).
«We met with them to ask if we could remove the abandoned nets that cause problems, for example, the one near Crucita beach. We need their permission as we only have the authority to report problems, not to remove the nets which would in fact be against the law. As it stands, those authorized to take action are already aware of the problem and have met with the Government of Chapala to discuss how to deal with abandoned or prohibited nets in the water,» said the official.
Macias Arceo added that during the meeting, he was told that most of the abandoned nets belong to people who come from outside the area and forget the nets they leave anchored near the coast.
In spite of not having an exact number, he said that he knew of several nets that were located in prohibited areas: the law states that nets must not be within 100 meters of the shore in tourist zones, and not within 50 meters in non-tourist zones. Yet authorities have identified some nets within 30 meters from the shore.
The Chapala port captain, Rafael Narez Armenta, said that they have received many complaints regarding nets. However, monitoring fishing nets does not fall under their authority as they are in charge of the surveillance of water vessels. Even so, he encouraged Chapala and lakeside residents to file complaints about problems involving nets.
To file a complaint with CONAPESCA, which is based in Sinaloa, call 01 669-915-6913 and provide as much detailed information as possible on the town and location of the problem. According to the operator, these reports are always followed up on, although there is no specific timeline followed from the date the complaint is made.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
Transformer that caught fire last Saturday, April 2, located on Ocampo Street, almost at the intersection with Francisco Villa. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- An electrical transformer of the Comisión Federal de la Electricidad (CFE) caught fire last Saturday, April 2 and as of the closing of this edition, was still unattended.
The damaged transformer is located on Ocampo Street, almost at the intersection with Francisco Villa, one block from the neighborhood of Las Seis Esquinas. Citizens reported that it had been leaking a liquid for several days.
In a story that circulated through social networks, a complaint was made after the fire and it would be attended on Monday, April 4. This publication stated that the liquid was very harmful and put neighbors or passers-by at risk.
The damage to the device did not affect the electricity or water service of the residents near the area. The neighbors fear for their safety because an explosion could occur due to overheating and the lack of liquid.
«On Saturday there was a firefighting unit that apparently contacted CFE. A while later, CFE sent a person with a forklift truck, but he only looked at the transformer and left. He did not even take five minutes to attend to the problem,» the interviewee said.
«Now that the smoke produced by the fire is polluting, just like the oil that is spilling. It should be reported to ecology so that they can put pressure on the CFE with an official letter,” the complainant added.
Ajijic acting delegate Maximiano Macias Arceo commented that the problem was reported to him on Saturday. He said that neither he nor the personnel of the delegation or the municipality could regulate the device, since it is federal property of the CFE and only they could fix it.
«We made the report to the commission (CFE), we cannot intervene, neither we nor the public lighting department, since it is a federal matter. We have made the report again, because the oil in the transformer is toxic and we will follow the situation until it is repaired,» concluded Macías Arceo.
Translated by Nita Rudy
Chapala Municipal president, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, with microphone in hand, the municipal agent Ana María Huerta Rivera, the councilman of Riberas del Pilar, Jesús González Amezcua, and two of the members of the new neighborhood committees.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).– The Chapala City Council presented a project for the installation of a sewage system to benefit the population of the Riberas del Pilar. The work is estimated to cost 68 million pesos, to be paid in equal parts by the municipal government and by residents. The Council claims that the properties that currently have private septic systems are contaminating the environment and the project is needed.
After introducing Ana María Huerta Rivera as agent for Riberas del Pilar, and asking the residents to watch for increasing shoreline invasions of federal zones, President Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, presented the details of the project.
«This is a proposal, which consists of installing much-needed drainage. It also includes a water treatment plant. We have to do this together, the municipal government and each one of the taxpayers.» He added that the proposal has been reviewed for feasibility.
The project, presented on April 5, includes drainage lines, a modular treatment plant which would be located between San Lucas and San Mateo streets on the shores of the lake, and the connector. It would be built out in one single six-month stage.
The current municipal administration asked residents to agree to the 50/50 cost split. Cost-sharing is necessary as there is not any available support from federal or state programs. In addition, officials said that they need 25% of the total cost of the project in advance to start the work. Residents have about 45 days to contribute the first 17 million pesos. If the funds are not raised, they will be returned to those who have contributed. The deadline was established by the approximately fifty residents present at the meeting. Government representatives assured that they had 34 million pesos available for the project.
In order to collect the remaining 34 million pesos from Riberas del Pilar residents, each homeowner will be charged 70 pesos per square meter of land, business owners will be charged 100 pesos per square meter. Riberas del Pilar covers 237 hectares, and contains about registered 1,500 properties.
There will be two ways to quote the fee and make the corresponding payment. The first is bring your property deed Municipal Water and Sewage System (SIMAPA) office, located in the new administrative unit located 62 Hidalgo Avenue. The second option is to wait for the formation of one of four neighborhood committees that are expected to be formed.
Connections from the houses to the public sewage system are not included in the cost of the project, or in the fees collected. Homeowners and business owners will be responsible for their own costs to connect to the system. Current estimates are 14,000 – 18,000 pesos per house. Officials said that anyone who does not pay the required fees for the project will not have the right to connect to the public drainage, and will be fined in the future for environmental contamination.
Present for a short time during the meeting were the municipal president Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, the director of the Municipal Potable Water and Sewage System (SIMAPA) Fernando Antonio Monreal Mendoza, Juan Carlos Pelayo, advisor to the City Council, as well as council members, and the recently-appointed delegado, Ana María Huerta Rivera.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
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