San Miguel’s Acuaférico and Looming Water Crisis

The municipality has come up with a plan to address this shortage.  in mid-October of 2020 the Sistema Municipal de Agua Potable del Municipio de Allende, SAPASMA, began the construction of a large cistern on the Cerro de las Tres Cruces. The project was halted but not before they destroyed a ceremonial staircase of great archeological and cultural significance.

For many years is being developed and authorized the construction of extensive housing projects in the upper part of the city, such as Zirándaro, Capillas de Piedra, El Paraíso, El Deseo, Los Arcángeles, Luminaria, Lomas de San Miguel, Jardines de Allende, without any consideration of how to supply them, or those already living in the zone, with sufficient water. As could easily have been predicted, the city is now facing a water shortage.

The municipality’s plan The Acuaferico involves drilling eight wells around the perimeter of the Presa Allende, between the communities of San Marcos and Cabras Juan Xido. From there the water would be pumped to cisterns at various points around the city.

 

We are all very aware of the urgent need to address the issues of water supply, quality and distribution in San Miguel de Allende. However, we are concerned about the government’s failure to consult local experts, community leaders, or the leaders of the ejidos which will be affected by the drilling on their land, all of whom have expressed their concerns about the effects of these new wells on the quality and supply of their water. We have the following questions for our municipal government.

 

• Does the municipality have the appropriate permits to drill in the area around the Presa? On January 13^th, 2021, CONAGUA suspended the drilling of three wells around San Marcos calling into question the legality of the process.
• Has the municipality done a proper environmental impact studies as legally required to be presented to and approved by SEMARNAT?
• How will the municipality ensure the safety of the water, extracted from close proximity to the Presa, which is highly contaminated with untreated sewage, agricultural runoff and even industrial waste, as well as the arsenic and fluoride which are present in much local water?

What will their testing methods be? How will the water be treated?

• How will these projects be financed and what role will private investors play?
• We have all heard about the frustrations of residents of the upper part of the city with the construction of a sewage drain through their neighbourhoods to deal with the overabundance of waste being produced by these new developments. Is this really the only solution being offered to a problem that will only grow, especially if local governments continue to authorize building in zones without adequate infrastructure?

 

Citizens and residents of San Miguel de Allende   demand a municipal government capable of serious and thoughtful long-term planning to address this pressing issue. We look forward to a fully transparent response to all our questions and concerns regarding these projects.

 

OCSMA

 

 

Traduccion

J.F.