Maquiladoras and the environment

The rapid growth of the maquiladora industry in Mexico’s regions was soon followed by an increase in environmental decay. Streams and rivers that used to be one of the main water resources used by the inhabitants living in surrounding regions, became scars. The color of the rivers transform from the usual clear waters to foamy streams producing putrefied odor. Maquiladoras hazardous industrial waste improperly disposed off was the main culprit of the decay of resources. Environmental degradation presented in multiple forms; the contamination of the soil, soil erosion, and water pollution and depletion, rivers and air pollution, as well as changes and variability in climate. Unfortunately, due to the unreliability of data, an accurate assessment of the severity of problem in Northern Mexico is not feasible. To be able to determine how severe is the environmental problem is important, it can damage the larger ecosystem and produce serious health risk. The contaminations problems that maquiladora have brought to Mexico, could potentially become a global problem if not managed. Consider the improper disposal of maquiladora waste water. The water travels untreated through channels before discharging into rivers, the Golf of Mexico, Pacific Ocean etc. leaving in its path contaminated vegetation that may rest along the path. The contaminated waste water reaches the Golf, Ocean, and other areas which in term contaminates marine life. This problem can now affect fisherman and spread to other regions. The author R. Scott Frey produced the abstract The Transfer of Core-based Hazardous Production Process to the Export Processing Zones of the Periphery: The Maquiladora Center of Northern Mexico (Abstract 22) in which he discusses the environmental detriment that maquilas are causing Northern Mexico, and he calls for the urgency to provide new restrictions and regulations to help deter further damage. Frey notes that until we make it a global problem the chances of environmental reform at the national level are slim. He presents a few scenarios to help explain why we need to categorize it a potential global issue.