Galicia has followed in the footsteps of the Principality of Asturias and activated alert level 2 this Tuesday due to the dumping of pellets on its coasts that will allow it to receive state aid. This was announced by the president of the Galician executive, Alfonso Rueda (PP), who assured a day earlier that his department did not have the necessary information to consider this alert level given the flood of plastic pellets reaching the beaches. This morning, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Popular Party, had confirmed the analyzes presented by Galicia (which have not been published) according to which the discharges are “not toxic”. In the afternoon, Cantabria made the same decision as both municipalities. For its part, Ecologistas en Acción has accused the ship's shipping company of a crime against the environment, while Podemos has filed a complaint against the Xunta.
Hours earlier, the Asturian executive had activated alert level 2: “In the last 24 hours, the affected coastline has increased significantly, reaching the eastern part of the Asturian coast, and the number of identified sources has increased,” he said in a statement. The Principality took this decision just a day after the arrival of microplastics on its shores, while Galicia did so three weeks after starting to ingest this industrial product on its sandy beaches.
The central government, after the Council of Ministers, insisted that Galicia should follow the same path. “Why doesn’t Xunta want to cooperate with the Spanish government?” said spokeswoman Pilar Alegría. When asked by the media why it took until Tuesday to raise the pollution protection level, Rueda replied: “They are demanding that we do it. It seems like there's no reason for it for a month when they arrive. “Beach is when they realize they have to act at sea, or at least that's what we realize.”
“This requirement is required of us,” clarifies Rueda. “If this statement is necessary, a statement has been made, but they have to do this work,” added the president and candidate of the PP in the elections in Galicia on February 18. “I am sure that if this were in another autonomous community, for example in Catalonia, they would not have these requirements that they ask of us to activate their cooperation,” accused the Galician.
Other communities are on alert for the same reasons. Cantabria has raised its territorial civil protection plan (Platercant) to level 2, just a few hours after confirming the arrival of “some” pellets on the beaches of Portio (Piélagos) and Prellezo (Val de San Vicente) and warnings received in the sandy areas of Liendo, Sonabia (Castro Urdiales), Canallave and Valdearenas (Piélagos) and San Vicente de la Barquera. The Santander City Council has also confirmed the arrival of these microplastics.
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Meanwhile, the Basque Country activated its alarm plan this Tuesday as it was predicted that microplastics could reach its shores, as reported after the meeting of the Governing Council. Late in the afternoon it was announced that the Basque government will investigate whether some of the pellets taken today from the beach of La Arena in Muskiz (Bizkaia) came from the Toconao ship. Sources in the Basque executive have told Efe that they have received a call warning about the presence of pellets and that samples have already been collected and sent to the Azti technological center in Deiro, where they are waiting to receive a sample from Galicia to determine whether they have the same origin. Euskadi decided to activate its alarm before it became aware of the presence of pellets. The municipality has chosen to “anticipate” since the crisis “may involve threats to people and material goods” and the aim is to neutralize it in the sea before it reaches the beaches, he had said before the discovery of the Pellets explained.
State media
In recent days, the Ministry of Ecological Transition had offered state funding to both Asturias and Galicia. Department sources say they are ready to help if needed. “We are waiting for Asturias to tell us what they need and where. We are under your coordination. “We will complete your teams humanly and materially with everything necessary,” says a spokeswoman.
Asturias justifies the increase in the alert level with the increase in spills in just 24 hours. “After analyzing the situation and confirming the widespread occurrence of microplastics in the sandy areas throughout the coast, the Minister of Development, Local Cooperation and Fire Protection, Alejandro Calvo, ordered the transition to Situation 2 at 10:24 a.m. of the Territorial Emergency plan for accidental marine pollution in the Principality of Asturias (Placampa),” says the communication sent this Tuesday by the Asturian Government.
Workers collect plastic pellets on the Asturian beach of Aguilar, in Muros de Nalón, this Tuesday. Jorge Peteiro (Europa Press)
And he adds: “The activation of this phase allows the inclusion of resources from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge in the waste disposal and management device that the Principality has implemented through the Asturian Federation in coordination with the city councils.” Councils (FACC). “The brigades will continue their work to clean up any plastic waste that may occur during this episode to prevent it from dispersing into the natural environment or entering the food chain.”
On the bags found on Galician beaches there is a name that corresponds to an additive used in the production of plastics to prevent them from decomposing in the sun.
The President of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, commented on this crisis this Tuesday, defending the non-toxicity of the material, according to Xunta's analysis, although the Environmental Prosecutor considers that the materials “show signs of toxicity”. “ and “They are not biodegradable.” “At the moment it looks like the analyzes they have undergone indicate that they are not toxic.” [las bolitas de microplásticos], but that corresponds to the people who do this kind of analysis,” Feijóo reflected in an interview. “What is toxic is the political use made of the spill on the Portuguese coasts, which the sea has brought to the Galician coasts and, at the moment, also to the Asturian coasts,” he lamented.
However, one of the two reports on which the Xunta analyzes are based warns of risks in the event of a leak. The analysis, based solely on the labeling of the product and carried out by Cetim (centre for intersectoral technological research based in A Coruña and private), states that “it is not a dangerous substance or mixture” , but in fact “It is recommended not to inhale the dust, avoid contact with skin, eyes and clothing when cleaning the spilled liquid, and avoid the formation of dust.” For “handling and storage” the use is also provided Safety glasses and gloves are recommended.
The environmental prosecutor's office has already opened proceedings to determine whether the discharge, in which it sees signs of toxicity, may constitute a criminal offense. Meanwhile, this Tuesday, the government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, has again requested that the Xunta provide the central executive with “a copy” of its analysis on the toxicity of plastic pellets, considering it an “environmental disaster” whose incidence goes beyond the place “where they are deposited.”
Agriculture Minister Luis Planas also commented on the oil spill: “There is no news or information about problems related to this situation that cause problems with the consumption of fish or seafood in Galicia.” Meanwhile, Rueda has indicated that he will ask the central executive will “work at sea” to prevent the pellets from reaching the coast. “It is the exclusive responsibility of the state,” explained the Galician president.
Letter to the Galician mayors
The Xunta has been saying for days that the first communication from the central government about the oil spill only arrived on Thursday the 4th. However, on the same day, the Galician Ministry of the Sea sent a letter to the city councils in the area to which EL PAÍS has given access, informing them that they have been aware of the presence of microplastics on the beaches since December 21st.
“On December 8, the merchant vessel Tocanao suffered the loss of six containers of its cargo, one of which contained plastic pellets,” the letter said. “This was communicated to the Fisterra Rescue Coordination Center and on December 21 to the General Directorate of Coasts and the Government Delegation,” he continues. “In recent weeks there have been several reports of the presence of this material in different parts of the Galician coast, most of them concentrated in the Muros and Noia estuaries. Due to its characteristics, it is not possible to remove this waste from the sea as it does not remain on the surface. Therefore, these tasks must be carried out as soon as they reach the shore,” he added.
In addition, on Monday, Transport Minister Óscar Puente showed on his “Since that day, there is no doubt that the Xunta is aware of the existence of this oil spill. On its shores,” Puente said. Pilar Alegría highlighted this thought this Tuesday: “Since December 13, the Xunta has been aware of this situation. We submitted all the information to Xunta on December 20th. They knew what was going on from the first moment. Neither propaganda nor lies solve anything. People demand management and transparency.”
Agents of the natural environment of Asturias monitor the coasts for the appearance of microplastics. GOVERNMENT OF ASTURIAS
Minister Teresa Ribera also referred to the administration of Galicia in an interview on Cadena SER this Tuesday before alert level 2 was triggered. “If I were in charge of the Xunta and faced an episode like this and faced with the impossibility of recovering very small plastic pellets that can harm biodiversity, I would seek maximum support. Which parameters does Xunta evaluate? I don't know”. According to Ribera, the Galician executive limited itself to leaving the cleaning of the beaches to the municipalities, instead of doing it with their own resources or asking the state for help.
Ribera has stated that Xunta has not communicated to the central government the preliminary reports that rule out the pellets being toxic. “Plastic pollution in the ocean and ecosystems is one of the major problems facing humanity. “Such a large volume requires monitoring to determine whether both the shipping company and the freight forwarder exercised all caution or whether the subsequent management was correct,” the minister added. “I am convinced that the management would have been different if we had not been in the primary,” she concluded. He returned to the matter hours later in front of the media. “I think we need to distinguish between obvious toxicity to ecosystems and the animals living in ecosystems, which remains in ecosystems for a long time and is very difficult to recover, from the other aspects where we need a much more detailed analysis.” Information about We do not currently have the specific composition of this material. Information that he said the Xunta is trying to obtain.
Level 2 enables government cooperation
The National Marine Pollution Response System provides four alarm scenarios (from 0 to 3). The Autonomous Communities are responsible for deciding whether state intervention is necessary and must request assistance, which is only activated from the third level of severity, the so-called situation 2. In this scenario, it is assumed that the resources available in the plans activated in the previous situation are not sufficient to combat the contamination or the affected or vulnerable area is particularly at risk. According to the decree, “in this emergency situation […] The administrative body of the territorial plan may submit an application to the Ministry of Public Works [ahora Transición Ecológica] supporting marine resources and, where appropriate, activating the National Marine Plan.” In addition, the Ministry must make its resources available to the community that requests them.
Workers collect plastic pellets on the Asturian beach of Aguilar, in Muros de Nalón, this Tuesday. Jorge Peteiro (Europa Press)
This Tuesday, Ecologists in Action filed a lawsuit in the courts of Noia (A Coruña) for an alleged crime against the environment and natural resources against the shipping company that owns the Toconao ship that caused the oil spill. The organization has demanded a €10 million deposit from the shipping company to deal with a “long and expensive” decontamination process. The legal action filed jointly with Plademar Muros-Noia accuses the company of an alleged crime against the environment and natural resources by damaging the coasts of Galicia by dumping millions of plastic pellets.
Podemos has filed a lawsuit against the Xunta for a public health crime, as Sumar has also done, in this case “for failing to exercise his powers in the pellet crisis.” The Unidas Podemos group in the European Parliament has asked the European Commission whether it is aware of the “environmental emergency on the coasts of Galicia” and asked whether it “intends to demand explanations from the Galician authorities”. “Does the Commission intend to investigate the negligence of the Galician authorities?” Finally, this Tuesday the four largest environmental organizations in Spain – Friends of the Earth, Ecologists in Action, Greenpeace, SEO/BirdLife and WWF – announced greater coordination between the administrations and Transparency required about the environmental impact of the oil spill.
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