Nine environmental organizations have considered the location of Vendas Novas for the new Lisbon airport to be “the most favorable” from an environmental and public health point of view, and highlight the unfeasibility of Montijo, this was announced this Monday.
The positions are contained in a joint opinion that Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ONGA) submitted as part of a public consultation on the preliminary report of the independent technical committee (CTI) responsible for the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport.
According to a document published by the Zero Association, the nine organizations highlight that “on most environmental and public health indicators, Vendas Novas stands out as more favorable, with the exception of aspects of forestry and surface water resources.”
“All options including Montijo are environmentally unfeasible,” the associations emphasize, calling on responsible organizations to “refuse to extend the DIA.” [Declaração de Impacte Ambiental] regarding Montijo Airport and its accessibility.”
Vendas Novas, according to ONGA, also has an advantage in terms of safety and air navigation because, despite similar conditions, the risks of interfering with the natural corridors of migratory birds are “almost certainly much more serious in the Campo de Campo Tiron of Alcochete.”
“In terms of environmental impacts, especially regarding birds, as well as impacts on forested areas and risks to the aquifer of the lower Tagus and Sado, Alcochete stands out as the most unfavorable of the three environmentally viable options,” they emphasize. .
In assessing public transport, especially traditional rail, the associations highlight that Alcochete is “significantly more disadvantageous than other environmentally viable options” due to the “high costs” required for new accessibility.
“The costs of new accessibility directly associated with the airport must be allocated to each option,” they argue.
Given that “the airport city and the investments required have been little studied,” ONGA notes that the environmental consequences of occupying the territory belonging to the Alcochete shooting range for the purpose of developing air-related activities “have not been fully taken into account.” .
“In this aspect, it seems to be the most unfavorable arrangement of the three,” they emphasize.
According to the environmental organizations, they are also asking that “irrespective of the decision that is taken” for the new Lisbon airport, “immediate priority be given to mitigating the consequences” of the current and existing decisions.
The nine organizations are the Association for the Protection of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the Algarve (Almargem), the Nature Association of Portugal in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (ANP|WWF), the Christian Association for Environmental Research and Protection A Rocha and the FAPAS Association. Portuguese Biodiversity Council.
Those who remain are the Group of Territorial Planning and Environmental Research (GEOTA), the League for the Protection of Nature (LPN), Quercus – National Association for the Conservation of Nature, the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) and the Zero Association.
The public consultation period on the preliminary report by CTI, responsible for the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport, which identified Alcochete and Vendas Novas as two viable options, ended on Friday.
Of the nine options being studied, the Commission considered that Alcochete had the greatest advantage: in the first phase, a dual model would be implemented with Humberto Delgado Airport, and then move to a single infrastructure on the south bank of the Tagus River, but in the same spirit, the “New Sales” option was considered viable.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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