By Paola Velasco
Over the past 30 years, those of us who live in San Miguel de Allende have seen its continuous and excessive growth, often disguised as “development.” For better or worse, this growth has had consequences, many of them quite serious in regards to the environment. Unfortunately, policies affecting “development” can be manipulated to benefit private interests, which often do not coincide with the interests of the community or its natural resources.
In our lead article last week, we addressed the post-pandemic reactivation of SMA’s economy. The last portion of the article reflected on whether this new wave of economic development is sustainable. Throughout the year, we have published interviews and articles from individuals who are genuinely concerned about SMA’s development and the environmental impact. The most frequently recurring issues are solid waste management, mobility and environmental pollution, deforestation, accessibility and quality of water, recycling, biodiversity of flora and fauna, and sewage and wastewater discharge.
Without a doubt, the main concern for many residents of San Miguel is the number of subdivisions and real estate developments that have been authorized over the past 20 years. These are projects requiring a maximum use of the land, and not all have complied with environmental regulations and compensations required by law. To find out a little more about what worries local residents, we surveyed leaders and experts on environmental issues. These were the most significant opinions expressed.
Mobility
This issue is becoming increasingly important for those of us who live in SMA. Negotiating traffic during the week, and moreso on weekends and holidays, is daunting and often chaotic. Many believe that public transport vehicles are a major factor affecting traffic mobility because of their size, which is disproportionate to the streets and spaces in the historic center. There is also the smoke and noise pollution they emit. Our survey suggests the need for more pedestrian areas and, of course, a change in public transport, i.e., no more buses in Centro.
Trash
How many garbage dumps are there in SMA? Is there garbage separation? Is there composting at home? Are there landfills and regulations for rubbish? The more residents, the greater the production of garbage. That is logical. But what are we doing in regards to taking responsibility for the garbage we produce? Unfortunately, it seems that everyone does what they want, and many throw garbage where no one sees them doing it, especially in the countryside.
It is urgent to put into practice a continuous recycling and composting program, and for citizens to take an active and conscientious role in dealing with the garbage we generate.
Deforestation
Deforestation, or “clearing,” is a direct result of construction and development. The more cement developers use, the more money they make, and that must change. Regulations must be implemented that require a certain volume of plant mass within spaces to be developed. We must think of cities as large habitable gardens, and integrate more trees into the city. It is useless to reforest the surroundings areas if developments continue to expand and overtake those areas. It is important to integrate soil, trees, and plants into our way of living and building. We need to minimize using cement. When we complain about the heat, we must be aware that deforestation is a major culprit, as it affects the existing biodiversity.
Water and waste
Water management is one of the issues that most concerns everyone—and with good reason. Water is a right that demands our urgent attention. We already know that we are in a region of Mexico where water is scarce and become moreso. We also know that current water extraction comes from deeper than 200 meters, and that the aquifers are not refilling to the same level. It is essential to regulate agribusiness’ exploitation of aquifers. According to unofficial numbers, 90% of the water extracted from the aquifer in San Miguel is for agribusiness, and 70% of wells are illegal. A great solution for conscientious water consumption is the collection and storage of rainwater. Polls indicate that it is essential to promote regulations for the construction of new residential subdivisions. They should be required by law to have sewage treatment plants and a collection system. We should manage the percentage of construction according to the percentage of cubic meters of catchment.
“A big problem we see in the rainy season is the over-paving of San Miguel de Allende. Issues include the expansion of urban sprawl that does not allow aquifers to refill, the cementing over of areas that were originally rainwater refill zones and are now built and designed to redirect storm water and rainwater into the street, or drainage systems that obviously do not have the capacity to handle the volume of water.”
“The San Miguel treatment plant does not have the intake capacity for all the water, and a large percentage of the drainage goes into the dam. For SMA’s population, at least eight treatment plants are needed. We have four, and only one works. It would be very interesting to know where the wastewater from each colonia ends up.”
“The sewers in many streets are fetid, which makes us think about sewage and drainage system failures.” One interviewee commented.
Contamination
Here, once again, public transportation is the main culprit, because environmental pollution by urban buses is increasingly noticeable. The noise from traffic in Centro is constant. Respondents to our survey also mentioned that the use of cohetes (noisy, explosive fireworks) during religious festivities are increasingly annoying. Perhaps we should reflect on whether any regulations or schedules could be adapted to monitor the excessive use of noisy fireworks. One respondent shared, “I would visualize the relationships between human beings and the four elements as follows:
Water—Let it complete its cycle from its capture from the sky, to its duly recycled return.
Air—Minimize the use of fuels, such as gas, and replace them with solar heaters. Or use electric motors instead of gasoline and diesel.
Land—Retain it, fertilize it, and take advantage of it with strategic crops.
Fire and solar energy—Take advantage of the sun and the wind to generate heat or electricity. Society is more educated and informed, so we should address the origin of the problems and not just the symptoms. San Miguel de Allende and its residents deserve an active and participatory community. This is everyone’s effort. Let’s be active residents with civil society organizations (CAs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are doing things well. Let’s be witnesses and watchdogs of the Land Use Plans over the long term—25-50 years out—and make sure that they work.”
