The construction of Section 5 South of the Maya Train has caused controversy as the route that was supposed to be used was changed, putting a large part of the jungle at risk, from animals and cenotes, just so that this work is maintained, according to environmentalist Arturo Islas.
After Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the route of Section 5 South (which corresponds to Playa del Carmen — Tulum) was modified, with the Sélvame del Tren campaign some artists they asked the president not to make his mega-work hurt the jungle even more, among these artists is Arturo Islas, who spoke with Infobae Mexico about what they are looking for with this campaign, why it started and what risks the Mayan Train will have to cross the jungle.
According to the environmentalist and influencer, the reason AMLO has for changing the South Section 5 of the Maya Train is only to move quickly with its project and that it ends in be built as quickly as possible, without considering that it is putting at risk one of the only areas of jungle that are still well preserved, and that, moreover, their mega project could not be sustained there, which is why they are asking for a dialogue with AMLO.
“This soil has different cavities, and then add to it that there are areas where this jungle, the thickness of the soil, does not exceed 45 centimeters (...) They are improvised movements, that there are not enough studies to build the train there,” Islas said.
He revealed that Sélvame del Tren did manage to reach the ears of those responsible for this section of the Maya Train, so there was a meeting with five of its members with some people who are part of the construction of the mega project in the offices of the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur).
During that meeting, a specialist, of whom Islas did not want to reveal her identity, would have confirmed to them what they had already sensed, that the change of route was due to issues of time due to problems with the large Spanish hotel chains that are on that site. The most serious situation, and one that worries Islas and his colleagues, is that there were no previous studies for this new route, which is already being reflected in the construction.
That is why Arturo assured this media outlet that some of the people involved in the construction of this section of the train “are worried” and that several experts close to AMLO have warned him of what could happen if they continue with this work, however, “he does not listen”. Even specialists with whom he would have spoken would have let him know that the works had been stopped due to different problems that have arisen because they did not have the necessary studies.
On the other hand, he emphasized that he is not against the construction of the Maya Train, as it is a reality that is being carried out right now, but, together with the other members of Sélvame del Tren, they want the route of Section 5 South to return to the highway.
What should worryb about this section of the mega-work, according to Islas, is that: it will change the water currents, the cenotes can be salinized, there could be accidents involving animals and the damage it would do to the jungle.
In addition, he stressed that, in this area, “we have the second largest population of jaguars in the world. It is between the second and the first most representative lung in the entire continent. This is one of the most important reserves of drinking water in the world,” said the environmentalist.
Islas said that the government of López Obrador “does not want to work with society.” In addition to this, he declared:
He assured that the president, after having to face so much criticism on social networks for the construction of the train, paid some people who live near where the mega-work is being built to say good things about the train, but he seeks to deny them with the video he made venturing through the jungle and cenotes, where the new one is route. There he verified that the comments made defending the Mayan Train are not true.
Despite what he has already faced and the facet that López Obrador has given them, calling them “pseudo-environmentalists”, he sent a message to the chief executive:
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