With a population of 50,000 at risk in Los Cabos, authorities warn of a difficult hurricane season in Baja California Sur and announced actions to prevent further accumulation of irregular settlements, including criminal charges against leaders.
“We don’t want another Acapulcazo; we want to apply ourselves and take competent action at all three levels of government,” said the state’s Undersecretary of Civil Protection, Héctor Amparano Herrera, referring to the historic settlements in high-risk areas in that municipality.
“The Los Cabos region is a source of great concern and tension,” he insisted, referring to the vulnerable conditions in which hundreds of families live, many of them migrants from other states who come to the tourist destination in search of better life options.
He stated that they have conducted information-updating tours and estimate that 50,000 people are living in these settlements, many of them recently established and even illegally accessing drinking water and electricity.
Together with the Los Cabos City Council, they have visited these areas and verified the families’ living conditions.
The municipality’s general secretary, Alberto Rentería Santana, stated that criminal charges have been filed against leaders who sell land illegally, without being owners, and, above all, who deceive many families looking for a place to live into the riverbeds—in federally-owned land.
He mentioned that they detected new land invasions in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, as well as potential leaders “who have taken advantage of the families’ vulnerability” by promoting these irregular land sales.
He noted that seven out of ten invaded lands have been occupied by “hoarders,” that is, leaders who engage in this same activity in other regions and who are responsible for clandestine connections to the electricity and drinking water grids.
He added that they have strengthened surveillance on vacated properties and are working to provide safe settlement areas for families. He recalled that the federal government has launched a housing program to address the housing needs and backlog in this region.
Along with representatives, council members, and Civil Protection authorities, both officials announced that they will begin a series of forums with experts on the subject in Los Cabos as part of the state’s risk prevention and management efforts. At the same time, they said, they are working on updating laws and regulations, given that Baja California Sur (BCS) is a state that presents many risks due to the effects of climate change and other natural conditions in this peninsular region.
Source: msn
