The Prosecutor’s Office of Ibiza has opened criminal investigation proceedings for the installation and operation of the asphalt plant of Sant Rafel, in the municipality of San Antoni. This was stated by the Neighbors’ Associations of the area, which since September have been denouncing the pollution and truck traffic denounced the pollution and truck traffic that the plant that the plant had generated in the area. In a statement, the neighbors of Sant Rafel said that, after unsuccessfully complaining to the City Council of Sant Antoni, the Consell and the Govern, they went to the Prosecutor’s Office, concerned about the environmental impact and possible risks to public health arising from the plant. According to neighbors in the area, the Prosecutor’s Office has passed a report to the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA) to lead the investigation. “We are confident that they will carry out their work diligently,” the locals enthused. And they considered that the action of the Prosecutor’s Office is “a positive step towards the protection of the environment and the health of the neighbors”.
Unbearable” discomfort
The plant had begun construction in the summer and started operating in September. It is a temporary facility until the asphalting works of the road linking Ibiza and Sant Antoni are finished, which is projected for February 2025. However, neighbors warned that pollution reaches unbearable levels. This is in addition to other environmental inconveniences caused in the area by different plants, such as the biomass plant, which has generated a proliferation of snakes and insects in the area. The neighborhood associations have highlighted in recent months the lack of response from the City Council for this type of situation, and now they have fulfilled their promise to move forward with a legal complaint.
