Yucatán Peninsula aquifer faces recharge decline and pollution risks

The natural recharge of the Yucatán Peninsula aquifer could decrease by 20 to 23 percent by 2035 due to climate change, according to Laura Margarita Hernández Terrones, a researcher at Universidad del Caribe. Her projections, based on water balance and general circulation models, vary depending on global emission scenarios. These estimates do not account for additional human impacts such as deforestation, population growth, and tourism pressure, which further threaten regional water sustainability.

In Tulum, water contamination has reached levels that reportedly prevent safe exploration of certain cenotes and caverns due to health risks. Local diving instructor José Urbina noted that the deterioration of water quality in specific underground systems is linked to disorganized urban expansion and real estate developments that may lack adequate wastewater treatment infrastructure. Because the region's limestone geology allows contaminants to filter easily through the underground network, pollution poses a significant threat to both the ecosystem and scientific research activities.