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Baja California Sur pitches Matancitas desalination project in Comondú to SEMARNAT

The meeting also sought faster permits for local operators offering gray whale watching and swimming with whale sharks and orcas.

By Miguel Díaz Miró · Responsible editor ·
Baja California Sur's governor meets Mexico's environment secretary in Mexico City

Baja California Sur Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío presented Mexico's environment ministry (SEMARNAT) with an integrated water desalination project for the Matancitas ejido in the municipality of Comondú and asked for faster permits for local tour operators, the state government reported on October 9. The meeting took place in Mexico City with Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena Ibarra.

A desalination plant for Matancitas

According to the state government, the project is proposed by the company Grupo Arba México, and its environmental impact study has been submitted so its feasibility can be assessed. The proposal includes clean energy to reduce its carbon footprint and the potential environmental effects of its operation.

Comondú Mayor Roberto Pantoja Castro and Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS) President Dante Arturo Salgado González also attended. The bulletin did not include investment amounts, plant capacity or construction dates.

Permits for nature tourism

The second topic was speeding up permits for local operators offering gray whale watching and swimming with whale sharks and orcas. The state government said the goal is to diversify the regional economy and create jobs and income for local families.

Castro Cosío called for the proposals to be evaluated under environmental rules and according to residents' needs, with coordination among authorities, businesses and communities. He also said the state's development must move forward in balance with the conservation of its natural heritage.

What it means and what comes next

In Mexico, a project such as a desalination plant needs SEMARNAT to review and rule on its environmental impact statement before it can be built. Submitting the study is the first step in that process, not an approval: the federal agency can approve it, attach conditions or reject it.

Water is a central issue for Comondú, which relies heavily on aquifers that supply both residents and farming in the Santo Domingo Valley. Its Pacific coastline also includes Magdalena Bay, one of the gray whales' winter destinations, so the tourism permits matter directly to the municipality as well.

For tour operators, permits to observe marine wildlife are processed with the federal environmental authority; the state bulletin does not yet detail any specific changes to requirements or timelines.

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