Alert in Puerto Vallarta! Uncontrolled urban growth puts families at risk

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¡Alerta en Puerto Vallarta! El crecimiento urbano sin control

Meteorologist and scientific advisor to the Municipal Civil Protection Councils of Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas, Victor Cornejo Lopez, spoke out at the business meeting of the Metropolitan Alliance for Security and Commerce (AMESYC). He was asked to explain the details of the upcoming rainy season and cyclones, denouncing that the anarchic urban growth is putting many families in Puerto Vallarta at risk.

Cornejo Lopez, when asked what should be done and what can be prevented, expressed with concern and without reservation the disorderly growth that Puerto Vallarta has had over the years. He pointed out that the riverbeds have been used to build houses, as is the case of the Ixtapa district.

Alert in Puerto Vallarta! Uncontrolled urban growth

He revealed a more serious case in the rural area of ​​the municipality, specifically in the municipal agency of La Desembocada, where riverside areas of the riverbed are being intervened and sold to families in need of a home, regardless of the consequences that this may bring.

“In La Desembocada, lots are being sold so that all the families drown, so that is a discussion that we must have with the authorities and also with those who plan urban development. I have observed for a long time that there must be a tremendous discussion between Civil Protection and Urban Planning to stop what is currently being done,” Cornejo López emphasized.
He called on the authorities to leave aside the economic issue and focus on the lives of people, who at any moment could be their own families. He explained that it is important to look beyond respecting certain meters of the riverbed; it must be considered from its birth and potential.

Alert in Puerto Vallarta! Uncontrolled urban growth

He recommended starting with the ordering of the riverbeds, which until now have been obstructed, focusing prevention work on land use planning to make the city more resilient.

“We have to remove the dollar sign from our eyes and look for what civil protection seeks: the safety of people. We have to take into account what is called the hydrological basins. Sometimes, from Urban Planning it is said: ‘from here on the river to here, which is the level up to such a district, nothing happens’; but higher up, yes, then, the river must be seen from its origin, not only from the area that corresponds to the municipality,” he pointed out.
He concluded by saying that no city is prepared for a major cyclone. What can be done is to reduce the number of deaths, and this is achieved when the population is consciously resilient. If not, a greater number of victims is to be expected. Therefore, it is crucial to work on a collective and comprehensive awareness to face these phenomena.

Source: tribunaldelabahia