MEXICALI NEWS: Water main rupture, heat-related deaths, homicide suspect arrested, men convicted of homicide

INFRASTRUCTURE

Water main break leaves thousands without water

A fracture in the 14-, 20- and 30-inch water pipes on Fourth Street and Palmar de Santa Anita Avenue in the González Ortega area left thousands of residents in eastern Mexicali without water service over the weekend.

The incident was reported Friday night. According to the Mexicali State Public Utilities Commission, or CESPM in Spanish, several teams were deployed to the scene to repair the fractured pipeline.

The CESPM responded on its Facebook page to an Internet user that the problem would be resolved in the coming hours. The problem has affected many other areas of the city, including several in the western zone.

“Although the leak in the Palmar de Santa Anita area has been controlled, the CESPM technical department is proceeding with caution to pressurize the network,” the agency said on social media Saturday. “As a result, there are currently intermittencies in water pressure in several areas of the city, and in the areas surrounding Central 2, located on Ninth Street, it has not been possible to fully restore service.”

According to CESPM, the water supply includes a vast network of collection, conduction, treatment, storage and distribution of drinking water to the population, which has a length of 4,702 kilometers.

Faced with a possibility of this magnitude, the commission specifies that caution must be exercised when increasing the pressure in water treatment plants to avoid further damage.

The agency distributed water through pipes in vehicles to three hospitals and three clinics, in addition to bringing water to the surrounding communities of Villa del Palmar to provide services to neighbors and nearby areas.

Water distribution continued on Sunday in areas such as Puertas del Sol, Hacienda Dorada and Villas del Valle, among others.

On Sunday evening, the commission added that the technical team was working to reopen the valves of the water treatment plants and drinking water networks to restore service.

“The neighborhoods and housing developments near plant number 2 located on Ninth Street will take longer to restore service due to the damage suffered on the various lines during the accident,” explained the CESPM on Sunday evening.

WEATHER REPORT

Heat-related death toll rises to six

Six people, including three farm workers and a car wash employee, have died this year from heat-related illnesses.

The director of the state coroner’s office, Cesar Gonzalez, told La Voz newspaper that three cases had been reported since Friday, with the first case being recorded on May 30.

Last year, the city recorded 53 heat-related deaths, most of them homeless.

The deaths occurred despite the city of Mexicali and the state public health department opening cooling centers throughout the city, including at the Mexicali Police Department headquarters, the state attorney general’s office headquarters and city hall.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Man wanted for homicide in Jalisco arrested

A Jalisco man wanted in connection with a 2018 homicide has been arrested by state police in Mexicali, the state attorney general’s office said.

The agency identified the suspect as Luis Fernando, whose age was not released.

Authorities say the suspect committed a murder in 2018 and eventually fled to Mexicali.

The suspect was arrested by state police officers in the Fraccionamiento Fuentes area of Puebla. The suspect was handed over to Jalisco law enforcement for processing.

COURTS

Men convicted of homicide

Two men have been sentenced by a state judge to more than three decades in prison for the September 2021 murder of a 74-year-old man.

The state attorney general’s office said the judge sentenced Octavio Rodríguez Tovar, alias “Maleno,” to 34 years in prison, and José Andrés Cosío López, alias “Balín,” to 30 years in prison.

According to the agency, family members of the victim, identified as Fernando, reported the man missing in September 2021.

The victim was last seen driving a 2007 Ford Explorer to her ranch in rural Cerro Prieto. State Police officers located the victim’s smartphone using the GPS device.

The victim’s smartphone and burned vehicle were found in a vacant lot on September 21, 2021, in the Colonia Cerro Prieto 4 area. The body was also found in the area.

Investigators discovered that the convicted men killed the victim to rob Fernando. The convicted men were seen driving the victim’s vehicle.

The judge also ordered that the convicts pay 453,477 pesos, or $26,675, to repair the damages.

– Arturo Bojorquez,

[email protected]