The Save the Hills of Chihuahua collective urged the municipal government to declare the Coronel, Cerro Grande, Cañón del Marro, Picos de la Luna hills, and other hills surrounding the state capital as ecological restoration zones. These hills are being encroached upon by real estate developments and housing construction.
Activists held a rally and walk in Defense of the Hills this Tuesday, starting at the Plaza de Armas, where they collected citizen signatures to promote a municipal ordinance for the protection of the natural landscape, hills, and areas of environmental value.
Approximately one hundred people walked along Libertad Street to distribute flyers and post signs against the urbanization and a project called Luis H. Álvarez Boulevard, also known as Avenida Poniente, which will have five lanes and will allow access to vehicles from existing and future developments in the La Cantera area and the vicinity of Campus II of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua.
They painted slogans such as: “No hills, no Chihuahua,” “It’s not drought, it’s looting,” “No more subdivisions on waterways,” “Away with progress without ethics,” and “Cement equals death” around the city hall building.
They denounced that the Chihuahua municipal government, led by PAN mayor Marco Bonilla Mendoza, made a commitment to convert the aforementioned hills, located to the north and west of the city, into protected areas. However, since August 2023, no concrete actions have been taken to stop the construction of subdivisions.
They pointed out that the hills around the city of Chihuahua act as barriers that slow the wind and prevent erosion, retain moisture, and recharge the Sauz-Encinillas aquifer, which supplies drinking water. Furthermore, the proliferation of homes in these areas has increased the risk of landslides.
The activists demanded that construction and real estate companies stop trafficking and selling the hills for 2 pesos per square meter. “They see a hill and they see their next business; they only see money. They see a stream and they don’t see the water for future generations.”
Municipal authorities affirm that they have a draft environmental declaration related to the Picos de la Luna, Cañón del Marro, Cerro Coronel, and Cerro Grande hills, but formal protection for these sites could not be finalized until 2026, according to Alondra Martínez Ayón, director of the Comprehensive Planning Institute of the Municipality of Chihuahua.
Source: jornada
