Lake Cajititlan, located some ten kilometers off the Guadalajara-Chapala highway, is, according to a Tlajomulco mayoral candidate, in imminent danger of bursting its banks as the Jalisco’s rainy season gears up for a record deluge.
Antonio Sanches Flores of the Partido Institutional Revolucionariuo (PRI) claims to have undertaken a study indicating that the laguna’s floodgates are non-functional and need to be repaired before the serious rains begin.
The candidate’s study also found that Cajititlan’s water contains low levels of oxygen and a high quantity of fecal matter, which he says is to blame for recent mass die-offs of the laguna’s fish species, the popocha.
Sanchez Flores furthermore has indicated that nearby Cierro Viejo presents a landslide threat to various communities situated below. According to his study, recent fires on the large hill have burned up soil-anchoring plants, which increases erosion and the risk of landslides.
The claims made by candidate Flores have been directed primarily at Conagua, the federal water agency. How and if the petition will affect his chances in the upcoming elections remains to be seen.