Galicia has finally given in and has raised the alert to level 2 due to the presence of plastic pellets on its beaches, so it will now be able to ask the central State for help to combat this environmental crisis. This was announced by the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, in statements to the media in A Estrada (Pontevedra), ensuring that “if this is the requirement they are asking of us” for the central government to collaborate in cleaning up this plastic waste, “We have no problem doing it.”
The Galician president, who this Tuesday visited O Espiñeirido beach, in Porto do Son (A Coruña), one of the first sandy areas where these plastic balls reached, has demanded that the Government combat this pollution in the sea, ” which is where that work has to be done.”
At the same time, it has insisted on removing the irony from this massive arrival of pellets, which is already spreading to other communities. Precisely, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, asked Galicia this Tuesday to raise the situation, as Asturias has done, to level 2 of the marine pollution plan. “It is what justifies, from a legal and institutional point of view, the actions of the Government of Spain,” he indicated.
For his part, the Minister of Development, Local Cooperation and Fire Prevention of the Principality of Asturias, Alejandro Calvo, indicated this Tuesday that there will be a brigade and a collection container at all points on the coast where pellets are detected, which will be transferred to the facilities of the waste management consortium, Cogersa.
This morning Calvo decreed the transition to situation 2 of the Territorial Contingency Plan for Accidental Marine Pollution in the Principality of Asturias (Placampa) in the face of the “widespread appearance” of microplastics in the sands of the entire Asturian coast.
“In the case of Asturias we have the best preserved coast in Spain, which is all considered environmental protection and has more than 30 elements with special protection and therefore our level of attention has to be absolutely exhaustive,” he points out. .
Alejandro Calvo has confirmed that “the entire Asturian coastal strip has more or less, with lesser or greater intensity, presence of waste.” “We already have them, for example, in the Llanes area,” he pointed out, adding that the outbreaks already detected have also increased, “which are already several dozen.”
In that sense, he argues the need to have “all available means” and to coordinate action between administrations.
Cantabria has also confirmed the appearance of pellets on two beaches and is tracking others where there have been warnings. The Minister of the Environment of Cantabria, Roberto Media, has confirmed the appearance of “small quantities” on two beaches in the region, that of Prellezo, in Val de San Vicente, where “eight or ten” have appeared, and that of Portio , in Piélagos, where a few “very few” have been found.
In addition, attempts are being made to verify the presence of these plastic remains in those of Sonabia, in Liendo; in Canallave and Valdearenas, in Piélagos; and in San Vicente de la Barquera, from where notices have been received about its presence and to which technicians have gone to check it.
Likewise, the Basque Government has activated the Euskadi Special Emergency Plan for Marine Pollution (Itsasertza), in an alert phase and as a preventive measure, in view of the possible arrival of these microplastics on the Basque coast from Galicia and Asturias.
The Government has assured that the dumping of pellets off the coast of Portugal that has reached the Galician coast is not causing problems for the consumption of fish or seafood.
“There is no news or information of problems linked to this situation that lead to problems for the consumption of fish or seafood from Galicia. We are following the issue based on the information provided by the Xunta de Galicia,” stated the Minister Planas, at a press conference after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Along the same lines, he has ruled out that the pellet crisis is affecting the fishing sector. “We have no news of any impact on the fishing sector as a result of this pollution from pellets,” he stated.
For her part, the Government spokesperson and Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, has stressed that the Executive’s message “is clear”: “Maximum transparency and maximum collaboration. Maximum willingness and maximum collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia and, of course, also with the Government of Asturias”.
The Government spokesperson has insisted that the Executive has been “absolutely transparent” since last December 13 “knowledge was made through 112 through calls from individuals who see and verify that on the coasts there are different balls of resin, different particles.”
Thus, he explained that on December 13 and 14, 112 received calls from individuals. “From that very minute, from Salvamento Marítimo, we began to investigate what happened,” said Alegría, who recalled that the 112 service “is the responsibility of the Xunta de Galicia”, so since December 13 ” is aware of this situation.”
The investigation, as detailed by the minister, shows that the pellets came from one of the six containers that the Toconao ship, flying the Liberian flag, could have lost around December 8. “When we have all this information we transfer it to the coastal department of the Xunta de Galicia, they knew from the first moment that something was happening and the reason for the events,” she added.
“These are not opinions, these facts are absolutely verifiable. That is why I tell you and reiterate the maximum willingness, maximum availability, maximum collaboration. This is what we have been saying since minute one from the Government of Spain. Neither propaganda nor lies solve absolutely nothing,” concluded the Government spokesperson.
