Maya Train: works on Section 5 South running from Playa del Carmen to Tulum ordered to be suspended

The impact authorization established by Semarnat has not been respected

The First District Court of Mérida, Yucatán, announced that a new definitive suspension was issued to stop the works of the Maya Train, specifically in Section 5 South, which travels from Playa del Carmen to Tulum.

The media outlet El Universal, announced that the judge in charge, Adrián Fernando Novelo, announced that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena), Fonatur and the companies in charge of carrying out the works, have not respected the environmental impact authorization that the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) issued in 2022.

Due to the suspension, the judge explained that if the works in said section continue to be carried out, there is a risk that the damages that are done could be irreparable.

The judge ruled that it is not enough for a work to be authorized, since what is important is that everything established is complied with, such as the conditions, restrictions and prohibitions stipulated by the competent authority, which, according to Semarnat, have not been respected.

It is important to note that Section 5 South of the Maya Train extends from Playa del Carmen to Tulum, in the state of Quintana Roo. This section is decisive because it crosses one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country, the Riviera Maya, known for its paradisiacal beaches, Mayan archaeological sites and natural parks.

Profepa confirmed the environmental damage at the site
The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) shared the report with number PFPA/ 4.1/ 8c.17 .3/ 0146/ 2024 in which it is disclosed about the non-compliance with what is established regarding the environmental impact.

It is important to note that the report was written based on the tour that the agency carried out from February 19 to March 5, 2024, due to reports made by various environmentalists about the spill of cement in caverns at the site.

Among what Profepa found during its tour were mixer trucks carrying out the washing of the mixer pot in places that had been determined as “unauthorized”, which occurred in the Garra de Jaguar, X’tun, Oppenheimer and Ocho Balas caverns.

The cement that was spilled ended up solidifying in the dry space; however, it fell into the body of water that was inside the affected caverns.

Other irregularities that occurred at the site are: the collapse of the roof of a cenote that does not have a name, the modification of the topography of the caverns due to the perforations of the stone material for the construction of piles, in addition to the extraction of water without having a permit to do so.

Source: infobae