Faecal waste pollutes drinking water in Mexico’s Yucatan, Greenpeace says

The report suggests a nearby pig farm or municipal wastewater could be the source of contamination.

Yucatan state, Mexico [File: Lorenzo Hernandez/Reuters]

Faecal bacteria are contaminating water in wells and sinkholes in Mexico’s Yucatan state, which are a vital source of drinking water, according to a report by Greenpeace, a global environmental organisation.

The report, published on Tuesday, said nearby pig farms and municipal wastewater were likely sources of the pollution in the southeastern coastal state.

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“A range of chemical and microbiological indicators reveal a complex mosaic of severe, localised organic pollution,” it said.

Greenpeace called for an immediate moratorium on new industrial livestock operations and farm expansions in the peninsular state, which was once home to the ancient Maya civilisation.

With no above-ground rivers, groundwater is the Yucatan’s only freshwater source, and the area’s porous limestone bedrock lets pollutants quickly seep into the aquifer.

The global environmental watchdog group 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 Yucatan Peninsula, which is one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations.

According to the report, every sample showed some degree of contamination likely linked to faecal waste, and several sites appeared heavily polluted. Total coliform bacteria reached the test’s upper limit in 16 of 17 samples, and faecal coliforms did so in 13.

However, the tests cannot show whether the waste came from people or animals, and leaking septic tanks and municipal sewage may also contribute to contamination.

Greenpeace said, however, that separate testing using Pig2Bac, a pig-specific DNA marker method, detected pig faecal matter in samples analysed at laboratories at Johns Hopkins University in the US and Mexico’s National Autonomous University (UNAM).

Greenpeace said the results raise “critical accountability questions” about nearby pig farms.

Maya communities joined Greenpeace in demanding action from environmental authorities over the contamination.

Industrial pig farms

A UN report published in July found that there are more than 500 industrial pig farms across Yucatan state with more than 50,000 animals, many located near the lands and territories of Indigenous Peoples.

Marcos Orellana, a former UN special rapporteur who authored the report, said waste and chemicals from industrial farms “find their way very quickly” into the water communities use for bathing, cooking and drinking. He said most farms lack required permits and that regional government initiatives “remain insufficient”.

“The contamination of the waters that have sustained Mayan culture for millennia is predominantly coming from the industrial operations of the growth of animals,” Orellana said.

But Antonio Zumarraga, vice president of the Yucatan Citizen Scientific Water Observatory, defended the local pork industry, saying the sector has invested in water treatment and supports conservation programmes. He blamed local authorities for their inaction.

“It’s an issue that, as long as it doesn’t carry political weight for the government, they won’t do anything about it,” Zumarraga said.

The Yucatan state government was not available for comment, while Mexico’s national water commission, CONAGUA, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Merida’s Association of Pig Farmers also did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

报告指出，附近的养猪场或市政污水可能是污染源。

墨西哥尤卡坦州 [图片：Lorenzo Hernandez/路透社]

据全球环保组织绿色和平组织的一份报告显示，墨西哥尤卡坦州的水井和落水洞中的水受到粪便细菌的污染，而这些水井和落水洞是重要的饮用水源。

该报告于周二发布，称附近的养猪场和市政污水可能是这个东南部沿海州污染的来源。

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报告称：“一系列化学和微生物指标揭示了严重的局部有机污染的复杂格局。”

绿色和平组织呼吁立即暂停该半岛州的新工业化畜牧业运营和农场扩张，该州曾是古代玛雅文明的发源地。

由于没有地表河流，地下水是尤卡坦半岛唯一的淡水来源，而该地区多孔的石灰岩基岩使得污染物能够迅速渗入含水层。

今年 8 月，全球环境监督组织委托一家独立实验室对州首府梅里达附近 17 个地点的水质进行了检测。

这些地点包括家庭和农场水井、社区供水点和天坑（cenote），这些天然落水洞遍布尤卡坦半岛，而尤卡坦半岛是墨西哥最受欢迎的旅游目的地之一。

报告显示，所有样本均存在一定程度的污染，可能与粪便有关，其中几个地点污染严重。17个样本中有16个样本的总大肠菌群含量达到检测上限，13个样本的粪大肠菌群含量达到上限。

然而，这些测试无法显示废物是来自人还是动物，泄漏的化粪池和市政污水也可能导致污染。

然而，绿色和平组织表示，使用猪特异性 DNA 标记方法 Pig2Bac 进行的单独测试，在美国约翰·霍普金斯大学和墨西哥国立自治大学 (UNAM) 的实验室分析的样本中检测到了猪粪便。

绿色和平组织表示，调查结果引发了人们对附近养猪场的“关键问责问题”。

玛雅社区与绿色和平组织一起，要求环境部门对污染事件采取行动。

工业化养猪场

联合国7月发布的一份报告发现，尤卡坦州有500多个工业化养猪场，饲养着5万多头猪，其中许多养猪场位于土著人民的土地和领土附近。

撰写这份报告的前联合国特别报告员马科斯·奥雷利亚纳表示，工业化农场的废弃物和化学物质“很快就会”流入社区居民用于洗澡、做饭和饮用的水源。他还指出，大多数农场缺乏必要的许可证，而地方政府的举措“仍然不足”。

奥雷利亚纳说：“数千年来一直滋养着玛雅文化的河水受到污染，而污染主要来自畜牧业的工业化生产活动。”

但尤卡坦公民科学水资源观测站副主席安东尼奥·苏马拉加为当地养猪业辩护，称该行业已投资水处理并支持节水项目。他指责地方当局不作为。

“只要这个问题对政府没有政治意义，他们就不会采取任何行动，”祖马拉加说。

尤卡坦州政府未对此事发表评论，墨西哥国家水务委员会（CONAGUA）也未立即回应置评请求。梅里达养猪户协会也未回应路透社的置评请求。