It's not all that has gold

1998/05/01 Alonso Cidad, Carlos Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

To preserve lands contaminated with toxic, hazardous waste, today no one questions the alternative of security cells. For example for lands contaminated by HGH. They are open air soils that pose a direct and immediate risk to public health and the environment.

The use of safety cells as a panacea to store all kinds of polluting and hazardous waste is totally different. This would mean that we would continue to produce these substances, that the problem would be hidden and that with it the policies of prohibition and limited use of certain products and residues.The place and the way in which these security deposits
are constructed is also the subject of debate, under what conditions, where they are located, with what guarantee and control, etc.

Undoubtedly, this alternative is a simple collection of polluting and hazardous waste and not a simple operation of regeneration of the environment or a small movement of land, although in some cases they have explained the Vice Ministry of Environment and IHOBE.

Therefore, this paper should analyze the environmental impact, although in many projects the following legal requirement is not taken into account: Quarry of Lemoa, Kastresana, Leioa… and now Sondika-Loiu. Interestingly, the impact study will be carried out in the case of Barakaldo's security cell, since it is a more prestigious debate in this country or perhaps because the money that has come from Europe demands to comply with this legal process.

Environmental impact assessment necessarily requires public knowledge of projects and remedial measures to address impact. Consequently, a certain control and social participation of the works.

So far everything has been carried away with the greatest obscurantism. The Sondika airport project is a clear example of this, as not even workers' representatives have had information about the damage they suffered until they have exposed their threat to paralyze the airport. Let's not say anything about the population living next to contaminated soil or the location of the security cell.

Social control is one more guarantee for a better technical execution of the works, which could make that not happen again Leioa (around the shopping center Sarrienalde). Leachates and other lindane residues (arsenic, cadmium, etc.) have been poured in large quantities into the Gobelas stream during the construction of the security cell and after its construction. These facts have led the court of Getxo to know if ecological damage has occurred.
In addition, to decide what are the urgent problems to solve and the most appropriate locations, society should have a more direct intervention than the current one.

So far only measures have been taken when the problem of contaminated soils has questioned the economic viability of the project or infrastructure: The project of extension of the quarry of Lemoa, the construction of large commercial areas (Max Center in Barakaldo, Pryca in Sestao, Sarrienaldea in Leioa), the corridor of the Cadagua in Kastresana, the plan of extension of the airport of Sondika… and now in Barakaldo to be able to speculate in the valleys of Ansio and Ibarra in the city. There are no known soil initiatives that promote public health or environmental protection. Once again, the economic interest has been advanced.

As for the locations, the “winged” policy has been imposed. They have acted with obscurantism and without any public control, when the problem has occurred they have resorted to a nearby place or where it is believed that it will not cause problems, without investigating possible alternatives and avoiding debate. At least publicly.