Pollution of river Atoyac is causing life-threatening illnesses

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By: Helena Prentis.

Puebla’s Atoyac river- the third most polluted in Mexico- is so contaminated that it is causing illnesses such as cancer, according to the organisation “Dale la Cara al Atoyac”.

The head of the organisation, Veronica Mastretta, explained today that the river has undergone several tests to deem its contamination levels, with the results showing that the Atoyac has a pollution level 240 percent greater than the maximum, and an oxygen level 1010 percent lower than the healthy limit for a body of water, and high quantities of fecal matter.

Drawing upon the local government’s unwillingness to pay for the treatment of the river, she assured her audience that the treatment of the water would cost 16 times less than the treatment of the grave illnesses which people living near the river are starting to exhibit. She continued that the candidates for the position of governor of Puebla have all been sent information on the subject in the hope of raising awareness.