At 3:15 p.m., CAPUFE reported that the vehicle load was approximately 19 km
Residents of the municipality of Teoloyucan, State of Mexico, blocked the Mexico-Querétaro highway in both directions this Thursday afternoon, which generated kilometer-long lines of cars and trailers.
According to Caminos y Puentes Federales (CAPUFE), the closure of the road began around noon, at kilometer 49, just before reaching the toll booth. The protesters demand that the authorities manage to put out the fire in a clandestine dump in Tepotzotlán, which they denounce has been active since last Sunday, March 26.
They exposed that, since then they have had to breathe the toxic smoke that comes from the fire, causing respiratory diseases and sleeping problems for more than 120 thousand residents.
However, the response they have received has not been very encouraging, since the authorities estimate that the suffocation work will take approximately 20 days, since debris removal must be done, not just throwing water from the heights.
After two hours of dialogue with the authorities and to the anger of the motorists, CAFUPE reported that shortly before 2:00 p.m. the protesters agreed to open one lane in each direction, with the aim of slightly freeing up the road.
However, at 3:15 p.m., they published that the residents again blocked both directions at kilometer 49, for which they called on motorists in the area to take precautions.
“Closing to traffic in both directions due to the presence of protesters. Vehicle load, approx. 19 km of row in the area. Take your precautions,” he posted on Twitter.
The flames and smoke have been active for more than 120 hours, which is why the municipality of Teoloyucan issued recommendations to the population to avoid respiratory diseases.
From placing wet rags on the door grates to prevent the passage of smoke and keeping the windows closed, using face masks, keeping girls, boys and older adults inside the house when there is poor air quality.
“I had to leave the house because my children have too much cough. My husband, my grandmother, an aunt, and her husband stayed in our humble home,” declared Janeth Cardiel on March 28 for La Jornada.
Meanwhile, personnel from the Mexican Army, Civil Protection and Firefighters (PCyB) from six municipalities and from the state government, continue working to extinguish incandescent material that, even this Thursday, raises columns of fire at different points of ten affected hectares of the openair dump.
With heavy machinery they remove mountains of garbage to attack the internal fire; However, the smoke continues to come out and continues to spread in the area of this Magical Town of Tepotzotlán.
Mr. Ramiro Cardona has been living near the municipal garbage dump for just over two decades, and he stated this March 29 for TV Azteca that it is not the first time it has caught fire:
“These burns already come from years ago, I have lived here for 22 years, from the moment I came to live here the garbage dump was barely at ground level, now it is already a hill”
Ramiro is also one of the people affected by the contamination emanating from the dump in Tepotzotlán. He assures, he has witnessed four fires and fears that the current one will last more days.
Meanwhile, the rain that has fallen in recent days in this Mexican municipality has done little to put out the fire in this 10-hectare dump.
Source: Infobae
