Mexico: wave of fires and areas of drought hit the country

In Mexico there is an intense fire wave, driven by the drought that affects the country. 73 have been reported accidents in more than half of the states, including protected natural areas such as those in the southern state of Chiapas. From February to April of this year, Chiapas has recorded more than 51 forest fires and six of these remain active, mainly in protected areas. The state Civil Protection attributes a large part of these fires to the extreme dryness that prevails in the region.

“In the state of Chiapas Right now we are being affected by the phenomenon known as The boy. We are suffering droughtthis extreme drought that is worsening“Colonel Eduardo Martínez Jaimes, operational liaison coordinator of the Civil Protection Secretariat, told EFE.

The official explained that so far there are six fires that have not been extinguished due to the weather conditions.

“The biggest one right now is (that of) Arriaga. Cintalapa, Chanal, Tonalá and Jiquipilas are on the coast side and on the other side in the friar area in the municipality of La Concordia”, he noted.

He added that of the 51 fires26 are registered in federal natural areas and one in state areas, in addition to stating that due to these events there are already 75 complaints in the hands of the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, belonging to the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE).

Chiapas is one of the richest states for its biodiversity, which lives in forests, jungles and mangroves, which has been affected by the climate change and for the forest fires caused by the hand of man.

According to data from the Secretariat of Civil Protection, the entity in the south of Mexico It has a forest area of ​​more than 3.58 million hectares, of which 9,591.67 have been affected until March of this year.

Serious effects in Mexico

With that, Chiapas It occupies the number 1 position on the list of Mexican entities with the largest damaged area; In addition, it is in eighth place among the states that have the highest number of firesbehind Mexico City, State of Mexico, Puebla, Veracruz, Tlaxcala, Durango and Morelos, according to data from the Ministry of the Environment.

For the defenders of environmentthese fires They are worrying, as they further aggravate the environmental crisis that the planet is suffering due to both human losses and the loss of animal and plant species, which in some cases are difficult to recover.

This is how Daniela Espinosa, an activist in Copoya, perceives it, who tells EFE that a couple of years ago she joined community volunteers to prevent fires in her town.

“It is depressing and alarming because we are gradually ending our world and that is reflected not only in the state, but in the entire Republic, Chiapas is an important lung for Mexico”, he emphasized.

According to data from the National Center for Disaster Prevention, 90% of forest fires They arise due to carelessness, acts of vandalism or recklessness, while only one in 10 arise from natural phenomena such as electrical discharges or volcanic eruptions.

However, the president of MexicoLast month, Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not rule out that the wave of fires currently occurring in the country could be caused and suggested that real estate companies could be responsible.

In Mexicothere are two forest fire seasons, with the first between January and June for the central, northern, northeastern, southern and southeastern areas of the country.

The second season is in the northwest of the country and runs from May to September.