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Work site closed after owner found filling cenote with cement

Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — The Environment Department of Solidaridad closed work on a site in the Ejido neighborhood after workers were reported filling a cenote with cement.

The work, which was the construction of a four-story residential building, was shut down after locals reported construction workers filling an on-site cenote with cement. The cenote, which is located on the corner of 11 South Street and Avenue 85, is among several in the area.

Municipal inspectors arrived to verify the report, noting that the cenote had been filled with cement. Inspectors shut down the project after the owner failed to comply with cenote regulations which specifies, according to Article 47 on the Regulation of Cenotes, “When the execution of work or construction detects the existence of a cenote, cavern or grotto, the owner, possessor or developer must suspend the work and give immediate notice to the General Directorate of Infrastructure, Urban Development and the Environment who will determine what is appropriate, giving priority to maintaining the natural flow of the aquifer.”

In November, residents in a Playa del Carmen neighborhood reported a real estate company for filling a cenote with stones so they could continue building. That project also resulted in a temporary closure.