After months of struggle, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has definitively suspended the irregular expansion of the drinking water supply through the mangroves of the Dzemul salt ponds and will sanction Mayor Wilberto Flota.
Members of the Xtampú salt ponds explained that after a prolonged struggle led by Ejidatarios (communal landowners), environmentalists, and workers at the local salt works, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), through the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa), has definitively suspended the irregular project promoted by the mayor in Dzemul.
In addition, the mayor was fined for the damage to the ecosystem caused by excavations in the mangroves, which were also cut down to lay the pipes.
The authority’s resolution establishes that the project, entitled “Rehabilitation of the Drinking Water System in the Town and Municipality of Dzemul, Yucatán,” was a serious violation of environmental legislation.
The activities detected included clearing vegetation, excavating trenches, installing hydraulic pipelines, and diverting water. These activities were carried out without an environmental impact permit and within a low deciduous forest ecosystem protected by federal regulations.
The official document orders the immediate suspension of all project-related activities and states that, if the project is to continue, the City Council must process the corresponding Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and obtain authorization for the Environmental Impact Assessment from Semarnat (National Securities and Exchange Commission), by the General Law on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection.
The resolution represents a significant victory for the communal landowners of Dzemul, who since 2023 have denounced and faced multiple attempts by the municipal government to continue the project, despite previous suspensions issued by environmental authorities.
In May 2024, the project was halted, but in 2025 it was reactivated without legal approval, sparking a new social conflict with protests by rural workers.
Community landowners and workers in the salt-producing area reported that municipal employees placed material to block access to the salt ponds, which directly affected their livelihoods.
“They are trying to destroy the mangroves, which are not only our livelihood but also a key ecosystem for the region,” said one of the Ejidatarios who actively participated in the defense of the area.
The Dzemul community remains on constant alert, confident that this resolution will set a precedent to definitively halt illegal construction and protect local ecosystems.
TYT Newsroom
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