Frontera NorteSur September-October 2003

AmeraMex, a US logging firm, told the Mexicali newspaper La Crónica that it was subcontracted to remove dead and burned pines from the forests of the San Pedro Mártir Sierra in Baja California. La Crónica also reported that AmeraMex said that it did not have permits to operate in the forests but that the communities it was working for did have them. 

Baja California's San Pedro Mártir mountains and forests provide habitat for important plant species, birds, puma, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and California condors. 

On Tuesday, August 19, the Baja California head of the federal Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), Carlos Alfonos de la Parra Rentería, stated that Semarnat had not authorized any exploitation of San Pedro Mártir's forest resources. 

Alfredo Cota Serrano, the BC director of the National Forest Commission (Conafor), said that he has never received notification from Semarnat that any forest cleanups were to take place in the Sierra. 

Cota also noted that "The only body authorized to do a cleanup in the Sierra is Conafor and if some company was trying to cleanup the forest, this agency would know about it."

The head of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) in Baja California, Alejandro Alvarez Cardenas, said that he was unaware of any forest exploitation but would investigate if a complaint was filed. 

Jaime Fernández Jiménez Ruiz, the sub-secretary of the Secretariat of Agricultural Development for the coastal zone, said no commercial exploitation of forests takes place in the Sierra. Cleanups would be exclusively done by Conafor, he stated.

Source: La Crónica (Mexicali), August 22, 2003. Article by Gerardo Franco Ortiz. 

Tijuana Fights Illegal Waste Dumps

In an effort to beautify Tijuana and reduce health risks, city government has embarked on a process to cleanup illegal garbage dumps and end their use. 

To aid in the cleanup of unregulated waste sites, the city has decentralized solid waste management and acquired new equipment. On Mondays through Fridays, sanitation workers run regular, garbage-pickup routes throughout the city. On Saturdays, workers dedicate themselves to removing waste from Tijuana's illegal dumps. 

To end residents' practice of throwing garbage in empty areas, the city has increased fines against polluters. It has also been running a media campaign known as "Vamos a Limpiar Tijuana" (Let's Cleanup Tijuana). 

Martín Dávila Echeverría, director of the Department of Sanitation and City Maintenance, says that illegal dumps come in many sizes. Some are small, taking up no more than a street corner. Others are larger, like the sides of hills or empty fields. The worst dumps are large canyons that are being filled with waste. 

Despite the city's efforts, the number of known illegal dump sites have increased over the past fourteen months. In July 2002, Dávila's department found 120 unregulated waste disposal areas throughout the city. By September 2003, this number had increased to 131. 

Dávila states that the problem of illegal waste disposal is hard to combat because for years residents have been in the habit of improperly disposing of garbage. This has created what he refers to as a vicious cycle in which the city cleans a field and then residents refill it with waste. 

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), September 30, 2003. Article by Manuel de Jesús Villegas. 

The head of Mexico's National Water Commission for the Northern Gulf region, Rafael Renero Amparán, announced that his office has begun a "hunt for private water wells" that have not been registered with the National Water Commission (Comisión Nacional del Agua, CNA). Renero also added that people or communities with unregistered wells should bring them into compliance with the law. 

The CNA will fine owners of unregistered well regardless regardless of their income, according to Renero. Communities that are using unregistered wells will also be fined, Renero stated. 

The CNA is enforcing well regulations because it wants to ensure that water is not being wasted and that registered well owners are not being affected by illegal pumping. Water quality is also a CNA concern. 

The CNA's efforts will begin in Tamaulipas' rural areas. However, Renero noted that well enforcement will soon begin around the state capital, Ciudad Victoria. 

Source: El Mañana (Reynosa), July 28, 2003.