The “Guadarrama River Platform”, in which many groups of Ecologistas en Acción are participating, present allegations against the project that is trying to build a protection against a possible river flood, in the municipality of Mostoles and Arroyomolinos in an area poured out by hundred of constructions that are occupying illegally the public domain. This project is an absurdity because the Hydrological Confederation of the river Tajo, meeting the water rules, should proceed with the elimination of these constructions and restore the riverside to its normal state.
The Guadarrama river, in the surrounding area of the N-V bridge, presents a pitiful state of maintenance, mainly due to hundreds of illegal constructions that are occupying the hydrological public domain and that they have caused the worst centre of environmental and social deterioration of all the river course. The fact that this area is protected because is inside the Regional Park of the middle course of the river Guadarrama and the fact that it belongs to Natura 2000, have not meant any handicap for its degradation; this situation has been allowed for years by the competent administrations of its conservation: the town halls of Mostoles and Arroyomolinos, the regional environmental ministry of Madrid and the Hydrographical Confederation of the river Tajo.
These administrations have allowed an environmental problem, while for decades has avoid their political responsibilities relating to the housing access and to the soil usage; know, with this building work, are trying to hide out of the sight these illegal constructions to perpetuate the social and environmental deterioration of the middle Guadarrama.
Turning a deaf ear to what is establish in the Law of the National Hydrological Plan (Article 28 of the law 10/2001), that urge to the elimination of these constructions, the Hydrographical Confederation of the river Tajo has presented a project that is trying to built a series of protections in view of possible floods that will consolidate the empowering of the public property by these hundreds of illegal constructions. This way, the message given by the Confederation is: “ steal the public property and we will give you protection”.
These protections would mean the elimination of the riverside forest in several kilometres. That would cause the elimination of thousands of riverside trees, some of them of big size and age, most of them poplars, ash tree and willows.
The project is complemented by a road that will go over the planned protections, and will contribute to increase even more the anthropization of the river Guadarrama, even favouring the access for the establishment of new illegal constructions.
The “Guadarrama River Platform” does not understand that the public organism that is in charge of watching over the conservation of our rivers could present a project of such characteristics. That is why has presented numerous statements for the Confederation to remove this project that has no justification or holding in an area which main vocation should be the conservation.
