Mérida, Yucatán — The list of problems that plague everyday Meridanos shouldn’t surprise anyone. But it may be a comfort that a formal survey of the issues is nearly complete so officials can strategically address them.
The lack of public services, poor management of wastewater and garbage, insecurity, overcrowding, poor public transportation and lighting, a lack of sidewalks, flooding, accumulation and burning of garbage are among the 14 problems facing the metropolitan area of Mérida, according to the field study of the six municipalities that comprise it.
El Observatorio Metropolitano started in November on a comprehensive diagnosis of the area’s growing pains. The first stage is almost complete and should be published this year, said Humberto Sauri Duch, the technical secretary of the Strategic Plan of Yucatán.
The survey was carried out in Mérida, Kanasín, Umán, Ucú, Conkal and Progreso. The next step is to create strategies and priorities for each municipality, after interaction with the mayors, to mitigate the problems, he said.
Sauri Duch told Sipse that each municipality has to create an implementation program.
“There are many shortcomings, especially in infrastructure problems and services to the community,” he said.
The survey involved several universities, which distributed and collected 7,000 surveys.
El Observatorio Metropolitano emerged in 2009 as a response to the need for social participation mechanisms that contribute to the improvement of regional urban development in the state. It is based on the UN-Habitat-SEDESOL agreements, with the objective of achieving the Millennium Goals and the Habitat Agenda.
