Neighbors reported the intense smell since the night of November 6
Residents of Guadalajara and Zapopan, Jalisco reported an intense smell of garlic apparently coming from the drain. The unpleasant aroma set off alarms among residents of several neighborhoods, who called the authorities.
Reports about the smell of garlic began on the night of November 6 and given the concern it caused among the population, Civil Protection ruled out that it is explosive or represents a health risk.
“Our monitoring has been without contaminants, with a temperature consistent with what the sewage system is and also the pH is neither high nor low, so we apparently do not have any problem within the drainage,” declared Víctor Hugo Roldán, general director of the Jalisco State Civil Protection and Firefighters Unit.
Regarding the origin of the aroma, the Intermunicipal System of Drinking Water and Sewage Services of the metropolitan area of Jalisco (Siapa) reported that it is due to the fact that in the sewage there was an agrochemical with low environmental impact used as a pesticide and reproduction inhibitor of insects.
Siapa explained that the agrochemical is not harmful in small quantities and that since it is in the sewage, the only effect it has is the release of an odor very similar to that of garlic.
Initially, the cause of the aroma was not found, so it was necessary for Siapa personnel to take water samples in the sewers, to rule out danger for the residents of the El Colli neighborhood and surrounding Zapopan.
Likewise, Siapa reported that, after ruling out that the agrochemical represents a risk to the population, its staff is working on cleaning the drainage. In a statement, he noted that “a wash is carried out with soap and Simple Green, in conjunction with the State and Municipal Civil Protection authorities.” In that sense, the smell should disappear after the work in the sewers in Guadalajara and Zapopan is completed.
Meanwhile, the governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, acknowledged that the causes of the chemical substance spill are still unknown but reported that an investigation has begun to locate the culprits.
Source: Infobae
