Toxic Legacy of Japanese-Operated Wastewater Treatment Facility in Mexico

An environmental catastrophe is looming in Veracruz, Mexico, as a transnational sewage treatment company defies local laws and standard operating procedures, leading to alarming environmental violations, and has prompted a state intervention.

Hydrogen sulfide, a harmful, brownish acidic compound that steadily corrodes iron and steel constructions, has been discharged straight into rivers by the Japanese-run Alto Rio Blanco Wastewater Treatment Plant since 1995, locals of Ixtaczoquitlan municipality in Mexico’s Veracruz state have expressed.

On August 21, 2023, the State Environmental Protection Agency (Procuraduria Estatal de Proteccion al Medio Ambiente - PMA) shut down Veracruz's second-biggest treatment plant, managed by Japan's transnational corporation Mitsui & Co. Infrastructure Solutions, due to a lack of adherence to immediate actions mandated several months ago.

“During an inspection carried out in May, they were asked for their authorization for water discharge and their registration as a Special Handling Waste Generator, as well as other licenses they failed to produce. Consequently, a report was drawn up, and they received notification that they were to take urgent action to avoid serious damage to health and the environment,” according to Gaspar Monteagudo Hernandez, head of inspection and surveillance at PMA.

Pattern of Violations

Monteagudo pointed out that the report unveiled alarmingly high amounts of contamination and underscored that the facility dumps a staggering 700 liters of polluted water continuously into the Escamela River daily.

Based on documents reviewed by media sources, the wastewater treatment company handles effluent from no more than six neighboring municipalities (Orizaba, Huiloapan, Ciudad Mendoza, Nogales, Rio Blanco, etc.) and over 10 firms across multiple industries. However, Mitsui & Co. Infrastructure Solutions completely defies the obligatory authorizations and blatantly disregards even fundamental rules.

The assessment report highlights a range of violations, including the persistent leakage of poisonous substances every day, the release of water into the river that is more highly polluted than its initial state upon entering the facility, and the unrestricted discharge of pathogenic water right into the environment, and excessively high concentrations of toxic airborne substances breathed in by nearby residents, situated approximately nine miles from Orizaba city.

Recurring public complaints regarding the plant's activities spurred an investigation by the PMA in late 2022. The state governor, Cuitlahuac Garcia Jimenez, who concurrently serves as the president of the trust responsible for the Firiob wastewater treatment plant, endorsed the intervention.

“They came to carry out inspections in May, and we responded by showing evidence that the accusations were unfounded. From the moment Mitsui took over the operation of the plant [in 2004], it has fully complied with the regulations, water quality levels, and the terms of the signed contracts,” says Mitsui’s Mexico Director Ramon Moreno, denying dereliction of duty.

Decaying Facilities, Non-Compliance & Irregularities

The verdict from the PMA couldn't be more straightforward: the company lacks the required operational licenses and has failed to adhere to the regulations' fundamental criteria." Several months back, we all concurred that the contract should be canceled," remarks Edgar Carmona, an environmental chemist now at the helm of Firiob. Upon their arrival at the Mitsui facility, his team was taken aback by the startling discoveries they made.

Carmona highlights a dire situation where crumbling infrastructure, outdated technology, machinery failures, non-functional reactors, and outdated biogas pipes are prevalent. Moreover, various irregularities, such as discrepancies in contracted personnel, further exacerbate the problem.

The report reveals that the plant doesn't meet the latest Mexican Official Norm 001-Semarnat requirements. This norm defines significantly lower thresholds for pollutants in wastewater discharges than what Mitsui currently releases.

“Not only is it catastrophically contaminating our natural surroundings, it also violates human rights. We are talking about a serious public health issue,” Carmona noted.

Mitsui's unchecked pollution is not only threatening the local environment, including coffee and sugar cane plantations and chayotales fruit cultivation, but also the livelihoods of farmers in the high-altitude region of Veracruz.

Devastating Consequences

Yair Condado, a teacher who has taught at the primary school near the wastewater treatment plant for 17 years, highlights that parents frequently keep their children home due to strong odors and poor conditions caused by humidity and plant emissions. This has led to class suspensions as students often feel nauseous.

The Ixtaczoquitlan health center director, Miriam Pellico, complained of frequently treating children with headaches, sore throats, and respiratory and gastrointestinal problems due to contaminated wastewater that generates harmful gases when combined with organic compounds.

The head of inspection and surveillance at the PMA emphasizes that the company had sufficient time to implement an emissions management system. However, they neglected to address the significantly high sulfur emissions from the plant, thereby endangering the health of Ixtaczoquitlan residents and the safety of its workers. He highlights various industrial safety issues, including employee protection during leaks and the absence of control measures for tainted water. Monteagudo also references a 2021 incident where an operations manager, Hiram Martinez, tragically lost his life by falling into one of the facility's dumping outlets, with an ongoing court case further emphasizing the array of anomalies exposed by the PMA report.

Opened for operation in 1995, this sewage treatment company, under Mitsui's management since 2004, holds immense significance as the largest in Mexico and Latin America.

Mitsui & Co. Infrastructure Solutions is a subsidiary of its parent company, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. It is one of Japan's largest and oldest general trading companies, often referred to as a "sogo shosha." It has a long history dating back to 1876 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Notably, Japan’s recent decision to discharge treated radiation-tainted water into the Pacific has sparked public vehement objections in another region of the world. The international humanitarian community, as well as China, South Korea, and other neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region expressed their fear of radioactive contamination, as in late August, Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant operator announced that it was putting into motion its plan to release over a million metric tons of treated, highly-diluted radioactive wastewater from the crippled plant into the Pacific Ocean.