Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Veracruz river clean-up yields 100 tonnes of garbage

Teams of residents and fishermen have removed more than 100 tonnes of garbage from the Río Blanco in Veracruz in the municipalities of Ignacio de la Llave and Tlalixcoyan.

Authorities had previously estimated that about 60 tonnes of garbage were floating along a six-kilometer stretch of the river. But the amount of trash that had washed into the river turned out to be a lot more.

Veracruz environmental authorities traced the source of the garbage to eight illegal garbage dumps, mostly in the municipalities of Cuichapa and Omealca. There are at least 300 tonnes of garbage in the landfills, which have been closed by authorities.

According to Sergio Rodríguez, head of the state environmental protection agency, a large amount of garbage was left on a bank of the Río Blanco in a dump in Cuichapa. The garbage was then carried away by the river when the water level rose.

The trash has been contained in a lagoon to prevent it from reaching the main Alvarado lagoon system, which is home to the biggest population of manatees in Veracruz.

Fernando García, a fisherman who works in the lagoon system, told Televisa that the situation is threatening his source of livelihood.

“The river flows into the sea, and that’s bad because there’s a lot of pollution,” he said. “If it gets to us, at the mouth of the river, that will make it hard for us to work.”

The garbage that was removed from the river is being taken to a landfill in the municipality of Medellín.

Source: Milenio (sp), e-consulta (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Texas flooding

Mexico aids 30 citizens, celebrates heroic counselors following deadly Texas floods

0
The president said the Mexican Consulate in San Antonio is in communication with Mexican families affected by the floods and will visit shelters as soon as possible.
Anti-gentrification protest Mexico City

Hundreds protest gentrification in Mexico City’s Condesa and Roma neighborhoods

5
Most of the protesters were young people, including residents and former residents of inner-city Mexico City neighborhoods that have seen rents triple since the COVID-19 pandemic.
light phenomenon in the sky

NASA astronaut captures glimpse of mysterious ‘sprite’ over Mexico

0
The atmospheric phenomenon is rarely seen from the ground. But astronauts on the International Space Station have the best seat in the universe, especially when hovering over Mexican skies.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity