The Community of Madrid has initiated a sanctioning file against URCOSA Inmobiliaria 97, SL for the actions carried out on several plots located in the north of Alcorcón, where the reports of the Forestry Agents point to earthworks, removal of vegetation and waste management that would have aggravated the existing contamination, including the dispersion and burial of asbestos-containing materials.
The decision of the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and the Interior comes after several months of public and administrative complaints presented by Ecologistas en Acción del Suroeste, an organization that claims to have warned since the end of April about the evolution of the work in these areas.
Reports point to a worsening of pollution in the north of Alcorcón
According to the agreement to initiate the sanctioning procedure, the Forestry Agents confirmed the carrying out of earthworks, stripping the soil, clearing vegetation and the removal, crushing, mixing and burying of construction and demolition waste along with other potentially dangerous waste.
The file acknowledges that it is unknown who was responsible for the original dumping in the area, but considers that subsequent actions would have aggravated the environmental damage by fragmenting and dispersing the waste over a larger surface and subsequently covering it with earth, thus making its correct management difficult and increasing the impact on the soil.
The investigation focuses on plots 6 and 153 of polygon 2 in the municipality of Alcorcón.
The presence of asbestos worries about its possible effects
One of the most worrying aspects is the presence of asbestos-containing fiber cement boards among the waste detected.
Ecologists in Action maintains that the work carried out with heavy machinery could have favored the fragmentation and dispersion of this material, increasing the risk of contamination of the land. The organization considers it necessary for administrations to determine the real scope of the condition and evaluate whether it is appropriate to declare these lands as contaminated soils.
In addition to asbestos, construction and demolition debris, as well as other abandoned waste, was also located in the area.
Months of complaints before the file was opened
The environmental organization claims that it began documenting the situation at the end of April, when it detected the presence of heavy machinery, earthworks, removal of vegetation and accumulations of waste in the affected plots.
During the following weeks, it disseminated images of the work and transferred the information to different competent administrations. On June 5, he presented a formal complaint to the General Subdirectorate of Environmental Inspection and Discipline of the Community of Madrid requesting the precautionary suspension of the proceedings.
However, Ecologistas en Acción regrets that this request was not attended to and considers that faster administrative action could have avoided part of the environmental damage that the Community of Madrid itself is now investigating.
The owners knew of the existence of spills, according to Ecologistas en Acción
The organization also remembers that the plots belonged to the Defense Housing, Infrastructure and Equipment Institute (INVIED) until their auction in March 2023.
According to Ecologistas en Acción, the documentation for that auction already made reference to the presence of illegal dumping on the land, so the current owners were aware of this situation before acquiring it.
Ecologistas en Acción disagrees with the seriousness of the infractions
Although it positively values the opening of the sanctioning procedure, Ecologistas en Acción considers that the Community of Madrid reduces the seriousness of the facts by classifying them as serious infractions.
The organization maintains that the reported actions would fit into the case of very serious violations provided for in Law 7/2022, on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy, understanding that for several months heavy machinery would have been used to fragment, disperse and hide potentially dangerous waste, including materials with asbestos.
Likewise, it does not rule out that, once the investigation is concluded, the facts could lead to possible criminal liability for crimes against natural resources and the environment, an issue that must be determined during the processing of the procedure.
What can happen from now on
The opening of the sanctioning file represents the beginning of an administrative procedure in which the responsibilities for the actions carried out on these plots in the north of Alcorcón must be clarified.
In addition to resolving a possible sanction, Ecologists in Action demands that the real extent of the contamination be evaluated, measures be adopted to environmentally restore the affected area and surveillance mechanisms be reinforced in this space, considered of special value for the ecological connectivity of the southwest of Madrid.
While the investigation continues, the procedure opened by the Community of Madrid represents the first official recognition that the actions carried out on these lands could have aggravated the existing contamination, an aspect on which the competent bodies must now rule.
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