CHANKOM, Yucatán, September 30.
After a day that began at 7:30 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m., 700 kilos of solid waste were collected from the Chankom cenote and its surroundings (500 kilos from the interior and 200 from the exterior), in a joint effort by the Bepensa Foundation, Seduma, Bepensa Volunteers, Chankom City Council, the Ajau speleological group, and the Grosjean Expedition.
This conservation and preservation activity for this beautiful cenote was carried out with funds from the July Dunosusa roundup and the Bepensa Foundation.
The first step was to establish a system of pulleys and ropes for the divers to descend into the body of water. There is a free fall of 20 meters from the surface to the surface of the water; this cenote has a depth of 34 meters.
While the divers removed waste from the water, the 38 Bepensa Volunteers collected solid waste at surface level; they also planted 60 trees and assisted in the effort to remove solid waste from the cenote using the aforementioned rope system. The materials removed included plastics, bottles, and metals, among others.
At the same time as this work was being carried out, the local birdwatching and nature conservation group Jay carried out various activities with the community's children, including birdwatching. As a prelude to birdwatching, they were given a talk on the topic and then a birdwatching tour with binoculars. Similarly, the Ajau caving group (an organization celebrating its 20th anniversary) focused on awareness-raising activities among the children to raise their awareness about environmental protection and the cenote. This activity concluded with some paintings made by the children.
Let's hope that this time the inhabitants will take care of this paradise.
(Sergio Grosjean Abimerhi)
