Residents of Ajijic, in the municipality of Chapala, reported the sudden appearance of hundreds of dead fish on the shores of Lake Chapala, a phenomenon that was videotaped in the neighborhood known as Las 6 Esquinas and has generated concern among the population.
Although birds such as herons have already cleared much of the area, neighbors claim that the die-off was caused by sewage discharges from vents in the drainage system.
“Well, here it’s mostly the drainage because that’s the only thing. There are no factories here that would make them say they’re dumping chemicals or anything. Here, it’s just the drainage… in town, from the dock like this, there’s another area just like this, and sometimes water is dumped from there too. But with this, it’s kind of scary to eat them, because you can see that when the fish die, it’s because of some chemical or something they ate, and that’s why they die.”
Local fishermen reported that this problem is recurring and that the pollution has even caused skin irritations in children who swim in the lake.
So far, neither the Chapala City Council nor the Ministry of the Environment has issued an official statement, so the community is demanding immediate attention to the environmental and public health risks.
Source: notisistema
