Faecal waste pollutes drinking water in Mexico’s Yucatan, Greenpeace says
The report says nearby pig farms and municipal wastewater are the likely sources of contamination.
Key points
- Greenpeace says faecal bacteria contaminate wells and sinkholes that supply drinking water in Mexico's Yucatan state.
- Tests at 17 sites near Merida found contamination in every sample, with coliform bacteria at the test's upper limit in 16.
- Greenpeace wants a moratorium on new industrial livestock operations and farm expansions in the state.
Faecal bacteria are contaminating wells and sinkholes that provide drinking water in Mexico's Yucatan state, according to a Greenpeace report published on Tuesday. The report said nearby pig farms and municipal wastewater were likely sources of the pollution in the southeastern coastal state.
Greenpeace commissioned an independent laboratory to test water at 17 sites near the state capital, Merida, in August. The sites included household and farm wells, community water points and cenotes, the natural sinkholes that dot the peninsula, one of Mexico's most popular tourist destinations.
What the tests found
Every sample showed some degree of contamination likely linked to faecal waste, and several sites appeared heavily polluted, the report said. Total coliform bacteria reached the test's upper limit in 16 of 17 samples, and faecal coliforms did so in 13.
The tests cannot show whether the waste came from people or animals, and leaking septic tanks and municipal sewage may also contribute. Greenpeace said separate testing with Pig2Bac, a pig-specific DNA marker method, detected pig faecal matter in samples analysed at Johns Hopkins University in the US and Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM).
The contamination of the waters that have sustained Mayan culture for millennia is predominantly coming from the industrial operations of the growth of animals
— Marcos Orellana
Calls for action and responses
Greenpeace called for an immediate moratorium on new industrial livestock operations and farm expansions in the state. Maya communities joined the group in demanding action from environmental authorities over the contamination.
A UN report published in July found more than 500 industrial pig farms across Yucatan with more than 50,000 animals, many near Indigenous lands. Its author, former UN special rapporteur Marcos Orellana, said most farms lack required permits and regional government initiatives "remain insufficient".
Antonio Zumarraga, vice president of the Yucatan Citizen Scientific Water Observatory, defended the local pork industry, saying it has invested in water treatment and supports conservation programmes. He blamed local authorities for inaction. The state government was not available for comment, and CONAGUA and Merida's Association of Pig Farmers did not immediately respond to Reuters requests.
