President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that this Wednesday, information will be provided in Sonora regarding the progress of the remediation works for the pollution of the Sonora River. This follows Grupo México's acceptance to complete the pending actions derived from the 2014 mining environmental disaster. During her morning conference, the head of state stated that the announcement will be relevant for the affected communities, as this achievement was the result of the permanent work of various federal and state agencies. She indicated that it will be announced that “practically all the demands requested by the community for the remediation of the Sonora River pollution” are being met. This pollution affected over 22,000 people, as well as their lands and animals. Sheinbaum detailed that the actions include the construction of clinics, permanent monitoring of the water quality of the Sonora River, and the restitution and remediation of soils. Grupo México had been reluctant to complete all the necessary works, but they will now build clinics, conduct permanent water quality monitoring, and restore and remediate the soils. The spill occurred on August 6, 2014, when millions of liters of toxic waste were discharged into the Sonora River by the Buenavista del Cobre mine, owned by Grupo México, considered the worst environmental disaster in the country's mining industry. Dictamen reports from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Mexican Institute of Water Technology confirmed in 2023 that the environmental damage persists, with the presence of heavy metals in the water and the 'very grave' overexploitation of aquifers. The affected area extends for at least 400 kilometers, reaching Hermosillo. The president acknowledged the participation of the Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez; the Governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo; and the Secretary of the Environment, Alicia Bárcena, in the negotiations with the mining company, which led Grupo México to 'decide to comply with everything.' Sheinbaum also announced that progress on the Justice Plan for Cananea and a greater push for the construction of the Guaymas–Chihuahua highway, a project initiated in the previous administration, will be announced in Sonora. Finally, she added that follow-up will be given to other strategic projects such as the development of the Guaymas port, a center for the production of export-quality meat, and the expansion of the Sonora Plan, which includes increasing solar energy generation in Puerto Peñasco.
