A group of fishermen is asking President López Obrador to investigate the possible contamination of Río Seco, near the Olmeca refinery
As the Olmeca Refinery begins full operations, fishermen from the municipality of Paraíso, Tabasco, took advantage of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s visit to demand an investigation into the alleged contamination of Río Seco, which recently turned a reddish color.
They point out that this coloration is not normal, and the water emits foul odors, blaming the oil sector for what is happening. They claimed that fish have died, and the oyster sector has been severely affected; they even reported seeing manatees (an endangered species) that have died in recent weeks.
“Authorities have come, but they do nothing. They know there is contamination in the water, but since they are bought by Petróleos Mexicanos, they say nothing,” accused Pablo Rodríguez Pérez.
The group of protesters went to the refinery’s entrance but could not see the president or Governor Carlos Manuel Merino Campos.
“We are not biologists, we are not chemists, as they criticize us today; we are the fishing sector affected by such visible contamination in Río Seco. Foul gas odors are not red tide,” read one of the banners they carried, with messages directed at the national leader.
According to the fishermen, they began to notice something abnormal in the waterway three months ago, but the reddish hue became more evident a few weeks ago.
At the same time, dead fish appeared. They also claim that what they catch in these waters causes ailments such as headaches, dizziness, and vomiting.
The affected areas include Puerto Ceiba, La Isla, and Torno Largo, but the “stain” could reach Bellote, along a tourist and gastronomic corridor on which thousands of families depend.
“This has been happening for about three months, but it started to increase more and more, but the water in the Puerto Ceiba river was like this,” said Pablo Rodríguez, showing a bottle with a clear liquid.
He then displayed another container with a recent sample taken from the river: “this comes from the refinery because if there were no refinery, there would be no contamination. We were better off before,” he said.
Source: El Financiero
