Chapala was kept under a tight security net Wednesday, March 22 for the latest official visit by Jalisco Governor Jorge Aristóteles Sandoval, who arrived at Parque de la Cristiania for a triple-feature program woven into the commemoration of World Water Day.
The main event of the day was the launch of the Lake Chapala Escuadrón Anfibio, an elite police force assigned to enhance public security in lakeshore communities.
The 18-man amphibious squad is headquartered at the park in a tiny four-room building surrounded by chain link fencing topped with razor wire. Inside the base perimeter the officers will keep two fully equipped high-speed motor boats that will be used to patrol and carry out rescue missions in Lake Chapala’s waters. They have set up shop with a supply of sophisticated weaponry, special gear for underwater and surface operations and a fierce-looking canine mascot named Scrappy.
The state government has assigned an amphibious police squad to beef up public security in communities bordering Lake Chapala. The 18-man elite force arrived with two high-speed motor boats to patrol and carry out rescue operations in the lake’s waters.
Sandoval was accompanied by a huge entourage of public officials, including Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer, Environment Minister María Magdalena Ruiz, Tourism Minister Jesús Enrique Ramos, Public Works Minister Netzahualcoyotl Ornelas Plascencia, Jalisco Water Commission Director Felipe Tito Lugo, and the incumbent mayors of Chapala, Poncitlán, Ocotlán, Jamay, La Barca, and Tizapán el Alto.
The governor was welcomed by Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado who started things off with a guided tour of the park to view the results of the first phase of rehabilitation program, funded primarily by the state.
Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer, a naval officer and Governor Aristóteles Sandoval inspect underwater equipment to be used by Chapala’s aqua-cops.
The walkabout ended at a provisional stage framed by the new police boats baptized Neptuno Uno and Neptuno Dos with uniformed officers posted on board. Displayed nearby were the brand new trucks delivered to the Chapala police department by Almaguer just last week and assorted state police patrol units, including a pair of armored mega Hummers.
Once the guest dignitaries were seated, the ceremony got under way as Degollado, Lugo and Mejia took turns to speak on lake and water issues appropriate to the occasion. The governor followed with similar discourse, declaring, “Chapala, the country’s largest lake is a natural jewel.”
He hailed the park renovation and the state’s aquatic weed control program for improving the lake’s conditions as a natural resource and climate regulator, and making Chapala a more appealing spot for tourism and aquatic sports. And he took a moment to tip his hat to the expatriate community for contributing to the economy and social causes.
Sandoval then went off on a tangent about solving water supply deficiencies that plague the Guadalajara metro area and the state’s highland region, reaffirming his pledge to do so while protecting the towns of Temacapulin, Acasico and Palmarejo from flooding by construction of the Zapotillo dam to capture the waters from the Rio Verde.
Happening all the while on the sidelines were a string of educational workshops for local school groups organized by the national and state water commissions to drive home the theme of water conservation.
A sign that optimum public awareness and conscientious environment friendly behavior has yet to be achieved was the trail of empty plastic water bottles discarded all over the green areas by people departing the park.