Frontera NorteSur September 2001

Long-promised residential water hook-ups have arrived to the Ciudad Juárez neighborhood of Anapra. For years, and especially around elections, local politicians had promised to bring water infrastructure to the neighborhood. Now, 2,100 Anapra homes have finally received water hook-ups and another equal number of hook-ups will soon be installed.

Unfortunately, the large majority of the people that have had water for up to two months have not yet paid for their water or signed a service contract with the city water utility, the Junta Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento (JMAS). Only 200 families have opened their temporary accounts with JMAS. JMAS Director Gerardo López Santana said that water to homes will be if contracts are not set up within ten days of the beginning of service.

Because Anapra's residents are considered low-income by JMAS, they have a special contract available to them. The fee is 1,700 pesos (approximately $180 US) with a required 10% down payment with the rest paid monthly over eighteen months.

All water contracts are considered temporary because most residents do not yet have clear title to their land. So far, out of 1,331 people that are trying to get land ownership papers only 34 have clear titles, according to Víctor Peregrino Martínez, assistant director of Suelo Urbano (Urban Lands) for the Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Ecología (Department of Urban Development and Ecology). However, the land ownership questions should be cleared up more quickly now as two weeks ago Chihuahua Governor Patricio Martínez handed out the first titles to land in the area. This has caused more people to look into resolving their land issues.

Anapra residents will have to pay 25 pesos per square meter of land for which they want the title, up to a maximum of 400 square meters. There is a required 10% down payment and the rest is paid over two years. There is also a 1,200 peso charge to receive the physical paper title called "la escritura."

As most Anapra residents have 400 square meter lots they will pay 1,000 pesos in a down payment and 375 pesos per month, according to Peregrino Martínez.

Source: El Diario, July 12, 2001. Article by Araly Castañón.

Anapra Received Water But No Waste-Water Infrastructure

Now that approximately 2,000 homes in the Ciudad Juárez neighborhood of Anapra have received water service the area faces a new problem: no waste-water infrastructure.

Humberto Uranga Urías, the spokesperson for the local water utility (Junta Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento, JMAS), says that there is an urgent need to collect waste water and treat it because accumulated sewage could pose a health threat to Anapra residents. Uranga also stated that areas near Sunland Park could become polluted by waste water and such pollution might become a difficult situation for the neighboring communities.

Uranga admitted that JMAS is not quite sure how to resolve the waste-water problem. He said that because of geographic issues it would be difficult to pump out the area's waste water or put in sewers. However, a program is currently under way to look at natural methods of treating the waste water, Uranga stated. One possible option is an oxidation pond, he said.

A separate July 14, 2001 El Diario story quotes Uranga as saying that 700 kilometers of Cd. Juárez's 2,700 kilometers of drainage pipes are damaged and in need of repair. According to Uranga only 7 kilometers of waste-water infrastructure will be repaired this year, beginning at the end of July. The pipes are damaged because the city does not limit where heavy trucks can travel throughout the city, Uranga said. The repairs will cost 11 million pesos (approximately US$1.2 million).

Source: El Diario, July 14 &15, 2001. Articles by Araly Castañon & Martín Orquiz.

Environmental Justice Issue: Tijuana Residents Reject Nearby Furniture Factory

Residents of the neighborhoods Anexa Porvenir, Infonavit Alba Roja and Pórticos de La Mesa are seeking to shut down FM Mexicana's nearby furniture factory that has already caught fire six times. At the present, residents and local politician Gerardo Cortés are trying to revoke the factory's industrial permit. Neighbors also complain that the area smells of paint and paint thinner fumes.

According to Tijuana's Frontera newspaper, 50% of the FM Mexicana factory burned in a July 24, 2001 fire, the sixth fire at the facility.

About a dozen neighborhood residents and Cortés went to the Dirección de Ecología (City Environment Office) to complain about the proximity of the plant to their residences. One of the Dirección's directors, Edith Carrillo Hernández, said that her office only deals with businesses and services. She said that the state government would have to look into the issue.

Residents later went to the Departamento de Uso de Suelo de la Administración Urbana (Land Use Office) to have them investigate whether or not the factory area is zoned for industrial use. The head of Uso de Suelos, Rafael Valdivia Reyes, stated that if anything irregular was found in the case of the factory its permit for industrial activities would be revoked. However, if the furniture factory is in compliance with all the legal requirements, there is nothing else that Uso de Suelos could do for the neighbors.

One community member who preferred not to have his name known said, "We've been trying to get this plant out of here for six years because our homes are so close to it and there could be a future tragedy."

Another community leader, also unnamed, stated, "Every day there is the odor of thinner and paint. It's unbearable and no government official has looked into the problem. It seems there are politicians that receive money because they do not help us."

Source: Frontera, July 31, 2001. Article by Aline Corpus.

Tijuana and San Diego Residents Protest Toxic Waste Site

According to the July 18, 2001 Tijuana newspaper Frontera, residents of Tijuana and San Diego protested the San Diego headquarters of the company that used to run Metales y Derivados SA, a lead-battery recycling plant located on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border, near Tijuana, in the Chilpancingo neighborhood.

The San Diego Union-Tribune identified the company that operated the Metales y Derivados plant as New Frontier Trading Corporation. Metales y Derivados was shut down in 1993 because it allegedly violated Mexican environmental laws. When the plant closed it left behind more than 6,000 tons of lead, heavy metal, acid and other waste.

César Luna, a lawyer for one of the groups at the protest, told Frontera newspaper that there would be no let up of pressure against the owners of Metales y Derivados. Luna wants the company to clean up the site and pay for the damage it has caused.

Sources: Frontera, July 18, 2001. Article by Abraham Nudelstejer. San Diego Union-Tribune, July 18, 2001.

Mexican Environmental Office Seizes Exotic Species in Tamaulipas

Mexico's Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Medio Ambiente (Federal Environmental Protection Office, Profepa) reports that it has seized 114 exotic animals so far this year in the state of Tamaulipas. Among the animals seized were 76 song birds, 14 ostriches, two macaws, five elephants, four llamas, four tigers, a wild boar, eight rabbits and two deer.

The birds were confiscated when people tried to smuggle them into the US aboard commercial busses. Hidden in cardboard boxes, the birds' lives were in danger.

Many of the other animals seized by Profepa were taken from circuses. According to the environmental agency the circus owners did not have the proper paperwork for the animals. The owners also received fines from Profepa.

Aureliano Salinas Peña, head of Profepa in Tamaulipas, said that the circuses have a limited amount of time in which to produce the documentation necessary to regain custody of the exotic animals.

Salinas said that operations against the illegal transport of exotic species will continue in Tamaulipas. The operations are also supported by other law-enforcement agencies present in the state, he said.

Source: El Mañana (Nuevo Laredo), August 28, 2001. Article by Javier Terrazas.

Reynosa Water Utility Cuts Service to Late Payers

Arnoldo González Elizondo, director of the Comisión Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado (City Drinking Water and Sewer Commission, Comapa), has said that his organization is cutting water service to 750 late-paying water accounts per day. According to González, these accounts are between three months and one-year or more past due. González says that Comapa can not afford to carry non-paying customers as the utility needs money to repair infrastructure and expand into new neighborhoods that lack water service.

As FNS has reported previously, Comapa has stated that it could take a relatively long time to restore service to suspended accounts. This is because service cuts in one neighborhood are done at once while restoration of service will be done on a more individual basis.

González also stated that Comapa is offering convenient payment plans for past-due customers and encourages them to take advantage of these plans to avoid a cut in water service.

Source: El Mañana (Reynosa), July 19, 2001.

Reynosa Divided on Nature of Laguna Cleanup

The Cámara Mexicana de la Industria de la Construcción (Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry) in Reynosa is yet another group among many that has announced its support of the cleanup of the Laguna La Escondida (Hidden Lagoon), according to a July 17, 2001 article in the Reynosa newspaper, El Mañana.

Reynosa Mayor Ernesto Omar Cantú Reséndez said that plans to restore the lagoon will move forward although it is probably too late in his administration to start any work there. City plans to restore the area have always included provisions to remove residents that have built and established neighborhoods out on to the lake and around the lake over the past 20 years.

Juliana López Isassi, a Laguna neighborhood leader, said that the area should be cleaned up, especially because of the mosquitos in the area which can spread Dengue Fever. However, López is against the relocation of the Laguna neighborhoods.

For more background on the Laguna, the cleanup and different plans for the area see Frontera NorteSur's article at http://www.nmsu.edu/~frontera/apr01/feat4.html

Source: El Mañana (Reynosa), July 17, 2001.

Nuevo Laredo Confronts Severe Water Shortage

Nuevo Laredo is one of 38 Mexican cities currently confronting a severe water shortage and water utility financial crisis, according to the Comisión Nacional de Agua (CNA). Other cities on the CNA list include Reynosa, Hermosillo, and Ciudad Juárez.

Unpaid water bills in Nuevo Laredo totaling 30 million pesos (approximately US$3,160,000) are contributing to operational inefficiencies, lagging service, waterline breaks and a lack of water meters for homes, according to the CNA.

Because of a lack of water meters in the country--only one in four homes has a meter--it has been difficult for water utilities to correctly charge for their services. The CNA says this means that water users are therefore less inclined to pay for their water usage. New water meters need to be installed throughout the nation, according to the CNA.

The CNA also says that water rates are 50% lower than they should be and do not support the cost of operating water systems. Due to low water prices, utilities have not been able to make necessary additions to water infrastructure including pipes, water purification plants and waste-water treatment facilities. The CNA recommends that the price of water be raised in exchange for better service to water users.

The CNA also notes that cities have a 62 billion peso (US$6.8 billion) debt with the CNA.

Source: El Mañana, July 3, 2001. Article by Silvia Alvarez Araiza.

Méxicali's Laguna México Threatened by Solid Waste

Much like Reynosa's Laguna La Escondida on the other end of the US-Mexico border, Méxicali's Laguna México is a polluted body of water that formerly served as a city water-recreation site. Also like La Escondida, the Laguna México is seen as a zone that should be environmentally restored so that city residents and others can enjoy it once again.

According to the Méxicali newspaper La Crónica, the Laguna México still shows signs of life but will soon die if illegal dumping continues at the site.

Gabriel Esquivel, the Méxicali chief of police, said that he was not aware that dumping was taking place at the lagoon. Now that he knows of the situation he will post "no dumping" signs at the area and will send out patrols to arrest and fine polluters. However, Esquivel noted that illegal dumping will only spread to other parts of the city once enforcement begins at Laguna México.

Luis Sánchez Vázquez, a city councilor and member of the PAN, said that the southern part of Méxicali needs a recreational area much like what Laguna México was and could become again. While many aspects of the lagoon are regulated by the federal government, Sánchez said that the city could apply to the federal government to have the area passed to local control.

Police Chief Esquivel also noted that police officers have given out 1,615 citations so far this year for the illegal dumping of garbage. The fines range from the equivalent of US$160 to US$400 per incident. Any vehicle involved in the act is impounded as a guarantee of payment.

Source: La Crónica (Méxicali), August 17, 2001. Article by Carina Rodríguez Moreno.

BC's La Rumorosa

Located at an altitude of 2,500 meters (approximately 7,500 feet), La Rumorosa's year-round population of 3,000 doubles every summer as Méxicali families come to take advantage of cool temperatures. Thirty miles west of Méxicali and its humid, hot weather, La Rumorosa stays below 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) throughout the summer.

The Tamayo family told Méxicali's newspaper La Crónica that they go to the town not just to escape the capital's heat but also to avoid high electric bills that result from running an air conditioner. "In Méxicali we either eat or pay the electric bill," said María Tamayo, who works for the city.

However, La Rumorosa's growth comes at a price to the environment. The city waste disposal site is located on the side of a canyon near a stream bed that fills with water in the rainy season. To keep the level of the dump low, city officials periodically burn the garbage there. Once a week construction machinery is used to cover the site with dirt. The dump site also lacks a fence so people frequently go to the area to throw out their garbage.

La Rumorosa's dump-truck driver Juan Diego Velázquez says that the quantity of garbage produced in the town increases with the arrival of summer visitors and doubles again on weekends when there is another influx of people from Méxicali.

Source: La Crónica, August 6, 2001. Articles by César Angulo.

Tijuana Rain Runoff Canals Fill with Large Garbage

The rain runoff canals of the Infonavit Presidentes neighborhood in Tijuana become health hazards every year as they fill up with large pieces of garbage that sanitation trucks refuse to haul away. Hundreds of families live in homes that border the dry stream beds that are strewn with old couches, domestic appliances, tires, pieces of wood and cars. While the city cleans out the canals every year before the rainy season they quickly fill up again with unwanted waste.

María Alvarez Villalobos, a neighborhood resident, says that many people in the area find themselves in need of a place to throw large garbage that the waste trucks will not remove from the area. Alvarez said that sometimes trucks come through the area and haul off things to resell them but this does not occur with enough frequency.

Some area residents believe that authorities should fine everyone that dumps in the canals. They also advocate the city posting signs so that people understand how much they will be fined if they are caught.

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), August 28, 2001. Article by Luis Adolfo San.

BC & Tijuana Government Offices Assemble Illegal Dumping Case

The Baja California Attorney General's Office (Procuraduría General de Justicia en el Estado, PGJE) and the Tijuana Ecology Office (Dirección de Ecología Municipal, DEM) are working together to develop a case against illegal dumpers in the Arroyo Alamar area. Although the DEM had previously marked the area as closed to dumping, trucks continued going to the stream bed to leave garbage and unwanted construction material. When dumping continued the DEM filed two complaints with the PGJE and on Wednesday, August 22, 2001 agents from both offices went to the Arroyo and handed out summonses to people dumping in the area. No arrests were made.

Carlos Silva Tonche, the director of the DEM, said that drivers are being summoned to the PGJE to declare what they were doing in the area. The PGJE will then use these testimonies to build its against illegal dumpers.

Silva said that the operation's objective was to stop dumping in the stream bed because the presence of waste there could cause the course of the stream to change. A change in the stream's course during flood-producing rains could threaten hundreds of nearby homes and families.

One man who was driving a load to dump in the area told Tijuana's Frontera newspaper that he worked for a state agency and had always been instructed to dump waste in the Arroyo area. Once it was explained to him why he should no longer dump in the Arroyo he said that he would tell his boss that he should begin using the city waste facility even though it is further away and more expensive.

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), August 23, 2001. Article by Aline Corpus.