Pipeline passing near Popocatépetl worries inhabitants

Due to the constant activity of the Popocatépetl volcano, residents of neighboring municipalities fear being threatened by the nearby gas pipeline, which is part of the Morelos Integral (PIM) project, experts warned.

"Both the gas pipeline and the thermoelectric power station were located in eruptive danger zones duly accredited by scientific studies. An eruption of moderate intensity may affect these facilitiesundoubtedly, as well as the resulting seismic activity, "warned an official of the University Center for Regional Disaster Reduction (Cupreder), which is part of the Autonomous University of Benemérita de Puebla (BUAP).

Aurelio Fernández, a member of the Cupreder, said in an interview with Aristegui En Vivo that the PIM was considering gas distribution at certain points in the area of ​​greatest danger of the volcano, such as Atlixco., where the creation of an industrial zone is planned 15 or 20 kilometers from the volcano Popocatépetl, one of the five most explosive volcanoes in the world and the most populated.

"This part of the information is very regrettable, they did not mention it," said Fernández, who said that It is essential that the government disseminate this data and not only inform the public that the IMP will reduce the cost of electrical energy in the municipalities that it crosses.

Alejandra López, also from the University Center for Regional Disaster Reduction (Cupreder), explained to Footer What the necessary revisions have not been made to corroborate the absence of a crack or fracture in the pipeline which cause a larger explosion before the possible eruption.

The BUAP specialist ensures that this risk may imply a greater disaster, if an eruption is combined with an explosion due to defects of the same pipeline. The companies involved, including Eneagas, did not take into account the construction of the tubes in the ravines where the mud moves, nor the protocol prevention projects related to a possible eruption in the areas crossed by the pipeline, which are underway. . Zone 2 Risk of volcanic eruption. That would be the risk in the short term.

The medium and long term risk is due to two important problems. The first is the increase in urbanization and hence the population that could live in the possible industrial areas projected in the PIM, around the volcano. But increasing the population with insufficient prevention and action protocols is risky ",it's not the same thing to evacuate 30,000 people to evacuate 3 millionhe warned Aurelio Fernández, also a member of the Cupreder in an interview with Aristegui.

Alejandra López explains that "bring to the Popocatépetl region a development model that will not only generate greater pressures on the environment, water, soil, will shift current uses of agricultural land and will open up other uses of agricultural land; industrial, commercial and residential lands it's impractical and they have not considered it in the project ".

The specialist points out that what you sees the pursuit of a model for the development of metropolisation, gigantic industrial corridors, which inevitably have effects.

The other problem concerns the gas distribution branches involved in the PIM project, which is an opaque problem, according to López.

"Since 2009, the authorities have not mentioned the risk of Popocatépetl being close to the pipeline … This is the most juicy part of the business, because that is sell gas, free market for the sale of natural gas. But let's say, because the whole scheme that exists for the moment provided by CRE, Sener, enter into this open market design for the sale of natural gas and no document tells you for sure, "he said.

According to Cenapred, During the last 24 hours, there were 61 exhalations, two explosions, two volcanotectonic earthquakes and 130 minutes of expiration sequence. When moving from phase 2 to phase 3 of the risk, the obligation of the authorities is to strengthen the on a possible evacuation and early warning for all the people living in the perimeter of the volcano, because the Popocatépetl presents a fast growth of the domes of destruction by strong explosions, the persistence of fumaroles, gas and light falls of ashes in the zones neighboring, bursts of increasing intensity and possible flow of medium-range proclastic material.