For people living near Mexico's Endhó Dam, pollution is not just an environmental problem. Residents say it has become a daily health fear, tied to the water they use, the air they breathe, and a cleanup decree that came with no new funding.
Here's what to know
In a TikTok video report, The New York Times (@nytimes) wrote, "Some residents near the highly polluted Endhó Dam say that sickness is everywhere. Here's what our reporter, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, discovered."
@nytimes Some residents near the highly polluted Endhó Dam say that sickness is everywhere. Here's what our reporter, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, discovered. Video by Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, Rebecca Suner, Thomas Vollkommer, Joey Sendaydiego and Alejandro Cegarra #EndhoDam #Mexico
♬ original sound - The New York Times
Before reaching the Endhó Dam, wastewater from Mexico City combines with refinery discharge and waste from a vast industrial corridor, a mix that has led some residents to label the reservoir "Mexico's toilet bowl."
For nearby communities, that contamination has been a reality for decades. In the video, Rodríguez Mega described what ends up in the reservoir as a "highly toxic soup" and identified residents Esteban Ceron and Tila Rodriguez as among those using wells dug only a few feet from the reservoir's edge.
More background
More than 20,000 people live around the reservoir, where rates of tumors and kidney failure have risen sharply compared with the national average. Tests also found that many wells exceeded national limits for heavy metals, including arsenic, mercury, manganese, and lead.
Ceron also showed a bottle filled with water from a contaminated well, and Rodríguez Mega said its color made him think at first that it was Coca-Cola.
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Rodríguez Mega added that the Mexican government has not conducted an epidemiological study in the area, leaving the connection between toxic exposure and illness unclear.
One commenter wrote, "This shouldn't be!"
What's being done?
The video cited a 2024 decree signed by Mexico's former president as the clearest government action, ordering an environmental cleanup in the region.
Residents remain doubtful because no new funding was attached to the order, raising questions about whether any cleanup will happen quickly or at the scale needed after years of contamination. Rodríguez Mega also said authorities did not reply to questions about the health issues raised in the reporting.
As Rodríguez Mega said in the video, "The pollution here is sort of like an assault on your senses. You can actually see it and smell it pretty much everywhere."
Where can I learn more?
The Endhó Dam crisis is one example of how polluted or scarce water can reshape daily life. These stories examine sewage contamination near San Diego, shortages in and around Mexico City, and toxic drinking water affecting communities.
• Near San Diego, sewage contamination from Mexico has fouled beaches and raised health fears.
• In Mexico City, residents are fighting over access as water shortages deepen.
• On Long Island, PFAS-tainted well water left one business owner facing enormous costs.
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