WESLACO, Texas - The city of Rio Bravo in Tamaulipas has more than 250 illegal dumpsites, says an environmentalist with Rotary International.
Dr. Bricia ElAwar, chairwoman of the environmental committee for Rotary District 5330 in Riverside, California, has led efforts to clear the dumps.
She first visited the city 18 months ago and returned this past weekend with over 100 volunteers to help Mayor Miguel Ángel Almaraz Maldonado with his clean-up efforts.
“Mayor Almaraz has been doing amazing things. He has already cleaned up over 100 illegal dumps."
“The beautiful thing is he is working in the middle of a very dangerous city and he's doing amazing things. Mayor Almaraz can serve as an example to mayors around the world, in terms of a government dealing with environmental challenges.”
On her first visit to Rio Bravo, ElAwar and her team cleaned up a lagoon so that butterflies, birds, fish could return. But, once the Rotary members left more trash was dumped there.
“I asked to the Rotarians to set up a meeting with the mayor. He said he would give us 15 minutes of his time but we stayed for one and a half hours. The mayor brought in eight new trucks to collect the trash.”
ElAwar added: “These lagoons can be beautiful for ecologic biodiversity. It is a great habitat for birds and the Monarch butterfly. If we protect our natural resources, I think mankind can have hope. Right now, I feel like Rotarians believe in what we're doing, and I think some governments are starting to have conscience about protecting their own communities too.”
ElAwar said that for Rotarians, working on environmental issues goes “hand-in-hand” with efforts to secure world peace, having a humane migration policy, and fighting disease. “Everything is connected and working with the government is key,” she said.
Asked how her environmental group came about, ElAwar said: “During the pandemic, COVID 19, I had many sleepless nights. I kept thinking of my family in Mexico that I could not see. I decided to take action. I had previously been in so many countries, helping so many people around the world. I thought, why not help Mexico?
“I wanted to connect with people who are passionate about the river, people who care about their families, and I wanted to have a heart to heart conversation with governments in many (border) cities.”
Editor's Note: Here is the Rio Grande Guardian's interview with Dr. Brecia ElAwar:
Editor's Note: This is the second in a two-part series on Rotary International's environmental clean-up project in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. Click here to watch Part One.
