The National Water Commission of Mexico closed some 90 tanneries in the last two years, within the framework of the Ecological Regulation Program (PRECO). The reasons were non-compliance with environmental measures on the disposal of effluents, preventing inspections and other infractions, reports CueroAmérica.

Enrique de Haro Maldonado, director of the Drinking Water and Sewerage System of the city of León (SAPAL) reported that 90% of the companies closed in the last two years belong to the leather and footwear sector. The official pointed out that “some establishments do not comply with ecological measures, in some of them they are not even allowed access to carry out sampling by the municipality and in other cases due to tax debts.

The government of León implemented the Ecological Regulation Program (PRECO) in which companies must register so that the State can identify how much water each industry discharges and thus set the sanitation rate. “There are discharge measurement programs, despite the fact that treated water of very good quality is included, it may be that someone has a very special process and the SAPAL water does not work for them. In other cases, there is clandestine activity and regulations are being broken with impunity.

The SAPAL director explained that when they identify this type of situation, they pass the report to the National Water Commission so that it can proceed with the closures. Maldonado also pointed out that based on what they review, such as that the concession title is valid or that they have paid for the services, they submit the corresponding reports.