Eleven years after the toxic spill in the Sonora River, committees denounce abandonment by the federal government.

MEXICO CITY (apro).- Eleven years after the toxic spill in the Sonora River, caused by a copper mine owned by Grupo México, the Sonora River Basin Committees (CCRS) accused Claudia Sheinbaum's government of repeating the "indolence," "cowardice" and "lack of will" to care for the population affected by water and environmental pollution that has caused serious damage to their health.

In a statement released Wednesday, the CCRS lamented that during the last three administrations since the accident occurred, there has been a "continuity of simulation" during the six-year terms of Enrique Peña Nieto, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and now that of Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

Those affected urged the president to hear firsthand what is happening to the population affected by the toxic spill, since, despite the progress reported by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), which is in charge of the case, "its officials are not telling her the truth."

They denied the existence of work plans and real proposals and reported that officials from agencies responsible for implementing the Justice Plan for Cananea-Río Sonora have broken commitments and denied the urgency of acting, given the evidence of health damage.

"This is why there is also a lack of commitment and even a regression in your administration, which should concern your office and all of Mexico," the CCRS considered.

“From the Sonora River Basin Committees, we tell you that we will not accept these sham meetings, which play on our pain. Why? Because they use them to report on 'progress' that have no basis in reality. Because progress doesn't mean coming back and telling you the same thing over and over again,” they rebuked.

After criticizing Governor Alfonso Durazo for having presented himself with the CCRS four years after taking office, at the request of the federal government, they denounced that the Sonoran governor "has decided to prioritize contracts with private companies over the well-being of the communities," which is evident in the hiring of private companies for the installation of water treatment plants, without having information on water quality, which clearly shows "the purpose of avoiding citizen participation and the accountability to which the communities are entitled."

Noting that only six private water treatment plants operate for 30 affected communities, the CCRS demanded that Semarnat and the National Water Commission (Conagua) fulfill their commitment to provide drinking water to each of the affected communities and not reduce the number to 22, as intended.

"The population deserves to know that while they deny us clean water due to a lack of budget and political will, there is money and time to build dams," they charged, adding that in just a few months "they have planned, approved, and allocated exorbitant budgets, in an opaque manner, for the dam construction project that would impact our territory without the consent of the affected populations."

The announcement refers to the project approved during the López Obrador administration to build three dams, one in Sinoquipe, on the Sonora River, and the other in Puerta del Sol and Las Chivas, on the San Miguel de Horcasitas River, to supply water to Hermosillo.

“Building dams on a polluted river is absurd. This would demonstrate that the State's priority is the economic interests of corporations rather than guaranteeing the fundamental rights of the people,” those affected argued.

They criticized the fact that, while Grupo México has been recognized as the responsibility of the toxic spill, which has gone unpunished due to "its corporate practices and its enormous capacity to intervene in politics," the CCRS members considered it shameful that the state and federal governments are evading their powers to address the problem.

"Shame should fall on the state and federal governments, who have given us endless speeches about their commitment to the communities, only to turn around and make decisions that benefit us in no way," those affected said.

They said that among the justifications the authorities have given for "not starting work" is that "they say they are not within their authority to take action, or that they don't have the budget because Grupo México hasn't paid," arguments that officials from the last three governments have used to avoid responding to the affected population.

"At this point, hiding behind the fact that Grupo México doesn't want to respond, as they have done in every six-year term, is an act of cowardice and lack of will; it is refusing to accept that they, as officials, must guarantee our human rights and force the company to pay, because at this point, Grupo México is above the State," they charged.

They recalled that during the López Obrador administration, joint responsibility between the company and officials was demonstrated in order to simulate the repair of the damages and close the case. They also noted that four years ago, they obtained "official evidence of the presence of heavy metals in the Sonora River population, and two years ago, they received an official report from Semarnat confirming the presence of environmental contamination."

Those affected by the spill demanded that President Claudia Sheinbaum address the contamination of the Sonora River and expose Grupo México, making it pay for the environmental damage and comply with the rulings of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, because the mining consortium "enjoys having a destroyed Sonora River, because it builds its wealth at the expense of our lives."

They denounced that "the Mexican State is failing in its duty to protect the population and is allowing a company like Grupo México to continue operating without punishment, without reparation for the damage, and with the support of its silence."

Eleven years after the toxic spill, members of the CCRS (Critical Workers' Commissions) demanded the construction of a tertiary hospital capable of treating illnesses caused by toxic waste, as well as the establishment of a permanent epidemiological and environmental surveillance unit in the municipality of Ures.

They also call for the installation of 30 water treatment plants equipped with heavy metal filters; a science-based river remediation program with the participation of civil society; and the allocation of a budget and institutional officials, with a public timeline for implementation.