What’s Polluting San Pedro’s Embarcaderos Area?

Families live there. Restaurants serve food there. Fishers work nearby, and preschool children pass through the area. Now, what appears to be wastewater flowing through San Pedro’s Embarcaderos area is raising serious concerns about public health and environmental safety. Over the weekend, residents and business owners complained about the unbearable stench hanging over the neighborhood. Belize Rural South UDP caretaker Gabriel Zetina says authorities must act quickly, test the water and determine exactly what residents are being exposed to.

 

Gabriel Zetina, UDP Caretaker, Belize Rural South

“I was called to my attention that apparently the sewer, which is right behind us. It’s flowing into the lagoon. And of course, you know that that could lead to potential health risks. And or environmental contamination. This neighborhood is called the Embarcaderos area. It’s mostly residential but you do have two restaurants, the grocery store and the fishermen that come in on the evenings to unpack their catch for the day. Unload, sorry, their catch for the day. And most importantly, not only it’s the stretch where we have the artisan market but we also have a preschool here, right behind you. I think two things need to happen right away. Which is the water testing. Test at what level the contamination is, if any. And of course, the second, which is to have the local municipality send a truck to completely take out all the sewer that currently sits there. We have to ensure that our local leaders take action into this. Like I said, this is not about casting blame or putting it from one person to another. None of that.”

 

Shane Williams

“As a San Pedrano, how would you feel having thousands of tourists coming to this area and experiencing this?”

 

Gabriel Zetina

“There’s no thousands of tourists coming in this area for sure. It hasn’t been happening. When did BTB inaugurate this? It was earlier this year. Up to today I can tell you it’s not there, not even close. But it’s not only about the tourists. The locals and the residents, the San Pedranos, the people who live here are also important. So we have to do something about it now.”

 

In a statement, BWS says an inspection found the pumping station is operating properly and that the water seen around the manhole was caused by unusually high tidal levels that submerged the structure, allowing seawater to enter the system and create hydraulic overloading.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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