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Frontera NorteSur
March 2002

EDUCATION

UACJ and IMIP to Work Together on Ciudad Juárez Water Project

The Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), the largest university in Cd. Juárez, and the city's Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación (IMIP), signed an agreement on February 21, 2002 to work together toward integrated management of rainwater runoff and city drainage.

Signing the accord were Felipe Fornelli Lafón, the president of UACJ, and Luis Felipe Siqueiros, the director of the city planning office, IMIP.

According to Siqueiros, Cd. Juárez receives its yearly rain in hard, surprise storms which cause flooding in the city and blocked stream beds.

In past years, dozens of people have died after being swept away by flood waters.

Fornelli said that UACJ's environmental lab will be in charge of performing the rainwater study. Two professors will take part in the work which should be completed after this year's fourth rainfall.

Source: El Diario, February 22, 2002. Article by Guadalupe Félix & Araly Castañon.

Nuevo Laredo School Drug Use

Thirty-five percent of students in three Nuevo Laredo middle schools said that they had tried alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs at least once. Ten to twelve percent of the 600 students surveyed said that they had tried marijuana, cocaine or other types of inhaled illegal drugs at least once.

State health officials performed the written survey at the schools and said that Tampico, Matamoros, Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo are the cities in the state with the worst addiction problems. This is due to the rapid population growth of these areas, said Bernardo Ramírez Mante, head of Health District #5.

Talking about a school drug awareness program and drugs in the schools, student Ana Fabiola Robles Tépate stated, "We have seen drugged people on the streets but here in school I have not seen anyone that uses drugs and I don't know anyone that uses drugs. Every two months people come to give us talks about drugs."

"Drugs are bad because the hurt you physically and mentally at the same time you lose your family and problems start with rebellion and lack of responsibility. In our civics and ethics class we are studying addictions," said Lizeth Lecea Pérez.

Source: El Mañana (Nuevo Laredo), February 12, 2002. Article by Lesy Karina Mendoza.