The parliamentary group of the Bloc de Esquerda (BE) in the Assembly of the Republic this Monday asked the government to “establish responsibility and take action” regarding the explosion of plastic bags that protected the dunes of the Estela beach in Povoa de Varzim. .
According to BE, the bags, filled with sand to protect a main dune near a golf course adjacent to the coast, burst and scattered plastic, rusty nails and other waste across the sand.
“In addition to the strong visual impact, the spread of litter poses a serious threat to the environment, coastal biodiversity and the people who love Estela Beach,” reads the letter the blockers sent to the guardianship.
The party, which called the incident an “environmental attack,” recalls that a similar situation has been repeated for many years, indicating the responsibility of the competent authorities, as well as the owners of the golf course, to solve the problem.
In 2021, the government reported that the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency (APA) had notified Estela Golfe SA to “immediately begin collecting and removing the bags, which were loose and deteriorated and were at risk of being washed away by the sea, and as frequent monitoring of the area is carried out ( …). It turns out that most of the bags were not removed, and the loose and damaged bags were buried,” says BE.
The party remembers that it is swimming season in Povoa de Varzim [distrito do Porto] began on June 15, stating that “there is an urgent need to remove the trash scattered on the beach by sending it to a suitable location.”
“The government should pursue measures to protect, renaturalize and restore dune systems instead of specific measures that satisfy the interests of economic groups,” the blockers add.
In a document sent this Monday to the Ministry of the Environment, BE asks what steps the government will take to define responsibilities and proceed with the removal of waste from Estela Beach when the guardianship foresees that Estela Beach will be free of this waste. waste it in vain.
Blockers also want to know whether there was any coordination between the municipality of Povoa de Varzim, the APA and the government on this issue.
Since 2021, the Chamber of Povoa has been informing the guardianship authorities about the problem and a plan has already been drawn up in which the Portuguese Environmental Agency, in addition to concrete measures, is carrying out a more consistent operation to strengthen the protection of the dune.
More recently, the municipality even recognized the need to relocate part of the golf course installed in the parish of Estela in order to preserve the coastal area around the equipment, which is threatened by coastal erosion.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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