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Nabarralde | Nabarra Papers
Lindane
Dump Site at Bilbo Airport Poses Threat
to Human Health, Environment
Mila Parot
Zubimendi.
The neighborhood
association Lur Maitea (beloved land)in the municipality of
Loui, has raised hell about an environment report that found
many irregularities in the construction of a lindane dump site
in Bilbo's Sondika international airport and warns about the
risk of an accident because of its location. The dump site is
located next to the airport's main runway, 12-30, Loiu-Derio.
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Bilbo's Sondika airport. Picture courtesy of BBK. |
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The report issued by the police's nature protection department
Seprona, confirms that the cooperation agreements for the granting
of the permit and license for the construction of the lindane
dump site and the removal of the toxic waste from the airport
premises, were violated by Spain's airport authority AENA and
the regional government of Baskongadak respectively.
The report states that the huge quantities of the toxic dump
were kept secret and stresses that lindane is a threat to human
health and the environment.
The report reinforces Lur Maitea's claim that the waste site
questions the intelligence and morality of those responsible
of dumping the pesticide in the airport, close to the municipalities
of Sondika, Loui, and Derio.
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Loiu, near Bilbo's Sondika airport. Picture courtesy of
BBK. |
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Bilbo's airport is located in the municipality of Sondika, an
agricultural area until the airport was built on its lands.
Sondika has evolved into being first and foremost a dormitory
town.
The new terminal for the Sondika airport will be located in
Loui. It will cover an area of 25,000 m2 and is expected to
handle 2.5 million passengers annually. Loui's economy is basically
rural despite its proximity to Bilbo and other commercial centers
within the province of Bizkaia. Local industry is based around
the neighborhood of Elotxeri.
The municipality of Derio is also near the Sondika airport.
Derio's economy is mainly centered on industry.
The economic interests have come before the well being of the
residents and a better environment, the group argues.
The Seprona report certifies the lack of an environmental impact
evaluation that guarantees the security of the residents and
users of the airport, and doubts that proper security measures
had been taken. The report recommends that the case for the
alleged "ecological crime" be decided in court given that "if
risk is involved, an accident or disaster could happen."
Lur Maitea said it doubts that the right security measures were
taken, being that the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) recently informed that it ignored "that toxic and hazardous
residues had been dumped near a runway."
The investigation of the lindane dump site in the Bilbo airport
was ordered by a judge after Loui's neighborhood association
Lur Maitea filed a legal complaint last year.
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Derio, near Bilbo's Sondika airport. Picture courtesy of
BBK. |
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Lindane is much more dangerous than governments lead us to believe.
AENA and the regional government ought to take action and get
the damned place clean up right. Capping the waste, sweeping
it under the rug, so to speak, can be called a cleanup. The
responsible parties must conduct an investigation into the extent
of contamination at the site, and a leachate treatability study
to evaluate short-and-long-term treatment and disposal alternatives.
Governments' environment agencies are often great at lip-servicing
the community. If you are reading this, have a computer and
are on the internet now, go to your favorite search-engine site
and type in "lindane." You will come up with enough information
to scare the hell out of you if you live near a lindane dump.
February 2000
Mila
Parot Zubimendi is a law student and an environment activist.
She lives in Miarritze, Lapurdi.
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