This Thursday it takes place in Rafael Perazza (San José) a public hearing for him Arazatí projectalso known as Neptune, which represents the construction of a new water treatment plant which will provide some 200 thousand cubic meters of water per day at metropolitan system.
It is planned to install in the Arazatí beach area (hence its name), close to a raw water intake, a fresh water reserve and a treated water adduction pipeline that would cross the protected area. Santa Lucia Wetlands until the repression of Melilla and from there to Cuchilla Pereira tanks in Montevideo.
The public hearing is a mandatory step before the Ministry of Environment grants an authorization environmental after evaluating the impacts of the project, something that will mark the beginning of the works.
On this occasion it was set for 18:00 this October 3 in it San Rafael Social and Sports Clubwhere from the beginning neighbors, protesters and environmentalists marked their position against the project.
From the beginning, the hearing had to be interrupted on several occasions due to constant booing and shouting, as confirmed by The Observer on the spot. This led the moderator of the meeting, an official from the Ministry of the Environment, to ask for respect.
Engineer Francisco Gross, responsible for the project that the Aguas de Montevideo consortium will carry out, was one of those in charge of defending the construction. He assured that the water that the plant will supply will be “good” or “very good” “365 days a year.” The public responded with laughter and refusals.
The Minister of the Environment, Robert Bouvier, present at the scene along with other authorities of the Executive Branch, assured that the public hearing is a “very important instance of participation”, which will be taken into account for the preparation of the final report.
“It is an issue that has a very important social impact, we expected this turnout and that is why we made the corresponding forecasts,” he said at a press conference.
Asked about the deadline that Ambiente will have to prepare the final report, Bouvier responded that there is no deadline and that several issues will be taken into account.
During the hearing, a neighbor from the area, named Silvana Fernández, alerted the representatives of the consortium that they would not be able to set “a foot” on the Arazatí beach.
“We go to bed and don’t let a machine pass,” he exclaimed. “Just as we signed a lawsuit, we are not going to allow you to set foot in Arazatí, you will not touch it. It is not a beach, forget it, Arazatí is life, memory, heritage of Rafael Perazza,” he continued.