The Campeche mayor’s office visited the Chiná Filtration Gallery and the Hobomó Aqueduct, confirming that the aqueduct is not functioning and is not supplying water to the Gallery. This follows statements made by the state government, through spokesperson Walther Patrón Bacab, who indicated that the Aqueduct was operational.
The aqueduct has a system that sends water to the Gallery, which, in turn, distributes the water through pipelines to the corresponding pumping stations so that it reaches homes; however, it is not functioning, and while water reserves in Chiná are dwindling, the city’s population continues to grow.
The Campeche mayor’s office is concerned because, in addition to the shopping center that Grupo GES had planned, the approximately 10,000 Welfare Housing units would create problems throughout the city, explained the mayor’s Director of Public Works, Oscar Borges.
“We have the same amount of water for the city, but while the population continues to grow and commercial areas want to expand, there will be low pressure where there wasn’t any before, and where there was low pressure, the water won’t reach. To avoid this, the Campeche government, in addition to implementing Hobomó, should conduct a real feasibility study,” he stated.
He pointed out that, almost five years into Layda Sansores San Romá’s administration and despite promises to get the project up and running, not only is it not working, but of the 22 wells available for the aqueduct, the state is only considering 15, and of these, only seven are equipped.
In 2022, the Campeche mayor’s office presented three water infrastructure projects with great fanfare to improve distribution, supply, and eliminate water rationing in various parts of the capital city. These projects, with varying budgets, were submitted to the National Water Commission (Conagua) for review, but they did not move forward.
With municipal funding, they managed to build a distribution line to eliminate water rationing in the northern part of the city. This project brought water directly from the Cuatro Caminos Pumping Station to various neighborhoods, but with the same amount of water that has supplied the city for the past 50 years, according to Fernando Quijano Palomo, director of the Campeche Municipal Water and Sewerage System (SMAPAC).
Now, with the new water distribution line under development, which will run from the Chiná Filtration Gallery to SMAPAC, water pressure will improve. Even though the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) is developing the Acuaférico (a water distribution system), what they need is to get the Hobomó aqueduct up and running.
“But it’s not working; they don’t even have electricity. Of the 22 planned wells, they’ll only use 15, and of those, only seven are equipped, so water isn’t reaching their storage tank in Chiná,” he explained.
Finally, Rodolfo Ceballos, spokesperson for the Campeche mayor’s office, stated that they have tried every possible means to get the aqueduct operational, even attending regular meetings with the National Water Commission (Conagua) and the State Water and Sewerage Commission (Capae).
Quijano Palomo asserted that this situation puts Campeche’s water supply at risk.
Source: lajornadamaya
